My OCs in Whumptober
by TheFuriousNightFury
Summary: This is a very specific thing that's complicated to explain so just read the authors note first chapter. These are only my OCs and their stories, and they are slightly related to HTTYD so... read if you want? Its gonna be angst for characters you hardly know tho lol
1. Introduction

**A/N: These are all OCs of mine, and when prompted I will explain about each of them and their backstories, and these are Sort Of Canon Simply to The OCs only. I'm using FFN because its reliable, and these characters do Technically have roots in another work of fiction, even if distantly. All of these guys are in their own universe.**

**Please I just wanna have some fun ok**

**Here's the list of them:**

**Alyru Leif: Alarian, early hundreds,but is the equivalent of a human teen. Cheeky and fun. Younger middle of four brothers. (Has roots in httyd but its complicated. In universe was the actor who played HTTYD1 hiccup)**

**Ayatos Leif: Alarian, in his eighties, but equivalent of like 11 year old human. Timid and sweet. Youngest of four brothers.**

**Khoti Leif: Alaraian, 120s, equivalent of in his twenties. So done and sarcastic. Loves to give snappy comebacks. Is also the most responsible of the four. Older middle of four brothers.**

**Taanyth Leif: Alarian, 130s, late twenties equivalent. Soft and chill, loves all his brothers dearly. Isn't entirely that responsible, though.**

**Frank Fennmark: (a human, at last) actual mid twenties, pleasant and sensible fellow. Lost his left leg In a ranching accident years prior. Is from texas. (Has roots in httyd but its complicated. In universe was the actor who played HTTYD2 hiccup)**

**Richard Hamish: human fella, and A Mess. Late teens. Borrowing money from Frank a lot. His family lives in New York and he left them behind. Lost his sister years ago and misses her a lot but never talks about her. Doesn't get along with his brother and parents back in New York much. Is kind of a goof and doesn't do much. Has a soft side. (Has roots in httyd but its Complicated. In universe was the actor who played RTTE hiccup)**

**Ifur: a half dragon. A Huge Nerd. Spends his time playing video games and is always down to nerd talk. His backstory is kind of a mystery to even him, as he kinda forgot a lot of it. Just knows he left his old home to live in the city where he met all the others. (Has Very Obvious roots in Httyd, as he is a half Night fury)**

**Phil (you can also just call him Toothless): Full Night Fury, late twenties. Lazy, and is kind of the big dog that just lies around the house. Has a chip that allows him to speak. (In this universe he played first movie and GOTNF toothless as an actor and makes a good chunk of money. How he met the others)**

**All these characters live in a large house together. The four Alarian brothers are alien refugees from the destruction of their home planet. They now hang out on earth and live among humans.**


	2. Day 1: Shaky Hands

Alyru stood in the kitchen, chopping some vegetables. He figured he would surprise his brothers with a nice dinner. He grabbed another carrot and started dicing, thinking idly about the dinner he would have made back on Alar. Mushtail stew, probably.

Pain seared through his right hand.

"The h-" he dropped the knife, realizing he'd managed to slice himself. Cursing softly in his first language, he wrapped the injured finger in his other hand and healed it as gently as he could, energy flowing through his hands with skilled practice.

He noticed with a slight frown, that they were still shaking. Mumbling under his breath, he moved to the sink and started washing his hands again. Couldn't have blood in a stir fry. Frank would be horrified. He sat down afterwards, holding his hands in front of his face.

Still shaking.

Why they were, he couldn't tell. He took some breaths and tried to relax, hoping it'd go away. It wasn't. With a sigh, he decided to just keep chopping the vegetables and focus more.

"Wonder if I just miss home," he mumbled to himself. "Wouldn't surprise me if I did." He chuckled dryly and kept chopping, forcing himself to focus despite this strange shakiness.

"Alyru?" He jumped at the sudden voice and just managed to keep from causing himself yet another fresh wound he'd have to scab over. "Sorry." The soft spoken voice came from behind him. "Didn't mean to scare you." He turned to see Ayatos. His brother looked up at him. "Whatcha doing?"

"Making dinner." Alyru told him, moving to pick up the knife yet again. There was a silence only punctuated with the rhythmic chops of onions and potatoes.

"You seem upset." Ayatos said softly. "May I ask why?"

"I'm not upset. Just... a little shaky." He was still confused himself. He'd never had shaky hands before. Ayatos moved around to stand beside his brother.

"Home?"

Alyru had to put the knife down again. "Maybe. I- I've never had this problem before and I... gotta admit it's weird."

"I get like that sometimes too." Ayatos said. "I think it's just... memories coming back. Like-" he gently put his hand on his brother's arm. "Like you know, everything we used to have." He whispered. Alyru sighed and moved to sit down at the table again.

"I was thinking about how I used to help Mamma cook." He told Ayatos. "Maybe it got to me a little. It was one of my favorite things to do." Ayatos nodded and sat down in another chair.

"Did you remember the time you put too much cheskti berries in the batter and mom's shejn sweets were ruined? They tasted terrible, but dad ate one anyway to not hurt you or mom's feelings?"

Alyru rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I remember. You also ate some anyway and told me they were okay, if I remember correctly."

Ayatos stopped and looked confused. "Oh... oh yeah. Well I'm less of a pushover now, and those sweets sucked." He giggled.

Alyru couldn't help but laugh, but soon went quiet.

"I want to go home. Just, just for one day. I want to go back and see our home, and..." Alyru began shaking again. "Why'd everything have to change, Ay?"

Ayatos shook his head sadly and moved to Alyru. "Dunno." He wrapped his arms around his brother. "Dinner can wait, Ru." He murmured.

"Yeah. I'm not hungry anymore anyway."


	3. Day 2: Explosion

It had been a rough day. Frank threw his coat on the couch and sat down, grabbing at his prosthetic straps and beginning to undo them.

"Man, I didn't know Mrs. Brown had so much house to even paint!" He mumbled to himself. If he'd known she'd wanted the whole house done, he'd have dragged Rich into helping. That would have made it easier. He knew Richard would complain, but would eventually get into the swing of helping. He heard snoring after a minute and realized Tooth was sleeping lazily in the corner, extra fin off and curled neatly in a ball on the carpet.

"Hey bud," He whispered. "Is it okay if I turn on the TV?" Toothless didnt react. Frank did notice that Richard was actually curled up with the dragon as well. He seemed more awake.

"Mmmm. Go ahead." He mumbled.

"Didn't see you there, Rich." Frank chuckled. "I was talking to Toothless."

"Nothing wakes this lump up except food, Beans." Richard stated dryly, sitting up and stretching. "Where were you all day again? You said something about paint..."

"I was painting Mrs. Brown's house. She mentioned the other day she was gonna hire some painters and I figured I could help." Frank explained to his... somewhat absent minded friend. He started pulling apart the couch looking for the remote which never seemed to be in the same spot. "Do you know where the remote is?"

"Top of the shelf." Rich mumbled lazily. "Think Al put it up there. Either that or Khoti. Know how he is about cleanliness." Frank sighed and was about to put his leg back on when Richard stood. "I got it." He stated, grabbing the remote from the shelf above the TV. It was stached next to Ifur's games, oddly enough. He sat down next to Frank on the couch, handing his friend the remote and relaxing beside him.

Frank turned on the tube and it was on the news channel. Definitely Khoti. He was known to watch the daily news to keep tabs on things.

"Humans are quite... messy. And interesting." He'd often comment.

Some story was on about a panda cub in a zoo. Frank pulled up the menu that covered the bottom half of the screen and began mindlessly looking for something to watch.

A different news story came on. A car accident. On the top half of the screen, a bad quality film of the aftermath began playing.

Then, the car exploded.

He thought not much of it, finding something more interesting to put on. He didn't notice Richard. Richard was crying.

"C- ca-"

Frank was confused when he heard this. "Wha-" He noticed his friend's state. "What's wrong, buddy? What- hey, you okay?"

Richard pointed at the screen shakily. "The car... it-"

"Yeah, I know. Stuff like that happens, but... why are you crying? You _never_ cry."

"Carly..." Richard whispered. "She... she went like that. She- accident..." he stuttered.

"Whoa, who's Carly?" Frank asked, turning off the TV and turning to his friend. He'd never heard of a Carly. Had Richard had a girlfriend or something years ago? His friend was usually so... unshakable and never cried like this. Never. He'd pout, sulk, or just go off somewhere to be alone if he was upset. He knew Richard hated anyone thinking him less than... well...

"My- my sister." Richard trembled, wiping his tears and starting to get a hold of himself. "I'm- forget it. It's nothing."

Frank was immediately torn between trying to get Richard to open up and letting it go. Which would be better, he thought. He decided to try and help.

"You never told me you had a sister." He said softly. He hoped Richard would start talking. It would be better than if he went completely quiet.

He knew Richard. Well. They went back to High school, back when Richard had been a new guy, from New York. A city boy. It was hard to get anywhere with Richard. He was closed off about personal stuff, having not had the best relationship with his family. He was also stubborn. Richard remained quiet, and Frank began to realize Richard wasn't going to open up.

Whatever that had been, it might be gone.

"Yeah, I had a sister." He stated suddenly. "So? What's it matter? She's not around anymore, what's the point of talking about her?"

Defensive. Oops.

"Well, I was just-"

"What, wanna hear about my Mystery sister? About my kid trauma? No thanks." He replied snippily. "I'd rather not go into that mess."

A beat.

"Not that I'm a mess."

"Course not." Frank fiddled with his shirt.

There was long silence where neither dared to speak. Frank for fear of hurting something, Richard for fear of losing his current calm state. He just didnt want to talk about it.

"...Beans?" Richard whispered.

"Yeah?" Frank replied softly.

"I'm not... I..." Richard sniffed again. He silently scooted sideways and refused to meet his friend's eyes in the evening light coming through the windows. "Don't tell anyone." He tried to sound tough but it didn't work and before he knew it they were in a hug.

"I just really miss her, okay?"

Frank's response was to hug tighter.


	4. Day 3: Delirium

"But I _n-never_ get sick!"

Khoti's loud frustrated cries could be heard down the hall. Alyru sighed long and attempted again to give his brother some soup. Khoti had quite the fever and had been crazy all day.

"Just eat the soup, bro." He begged. "You need some food in you. You know what those humans say. Feed a cold, starve a fever."

"B-but, but it makes no sense!" Khoti whined. "Why is the ceiling spinning?"

"Because, my ridiculous brother, you have a ridiculous fever." Alyru sighed, trying desperately to stay patient. This human illness was affecting Khoti quite badly. There was no actual cure for an illness like this, only patience and letting the body fight it. Khoti slipped in and out of being delirious and was unable to do much.

Alyru wasn't even sure he could properly fight an illness they'd not been accustomed to for long. He'd been on Earth the longest, about twenty years, having been the first of his brothers to find the planet. He was more used to the environment. Khoti had been here five, and Taanyth and Ayatos managed to stay together, getting here just two years prior. They were lucky to not be sick. He was making sure they stayed well away from Khoti, just in case.

He'd be the one to care for his brother, no matter what. After all, Khoti had taken care of them in the past. Especially when the war had started in the first place and the four had been left with only each other.

Khoti was grumbling.

"Your soup tastes like... like paper."

"Because, dear brother, you have no sense of taste at the moment. Please, just- just eat." Khoti reluctantly swallowed another spoonful.

"Alyru, are you aware," Khoti slurred. "That you have feathers? Are those new? I like them." He giggled to himself, and began to just mumble nonsense on and off. He was exhausted. Alyru sighed again and felt his brother's forehead.

"Ooh. Hot.." He winced and pulled his hand away. "Okay bro, just rest. Man, I sure wish I could help you more. All that Core practice in school and not a single thing I can do but sit here and wait. It sucks. And it sucks more for you. I'm sorry, Khoti." He laughed sadly, rubbing a hand over his chest, just under his heart. "What a bummer, as they say. Can't even really take away the fever. That's apparently supposed to help."

He was exhausted himself. At least he couldn't get ill. He'd had a cold once before. And Alarain immune systems were amazing, once they knew what to expect.

"You'll get through this, bro. Promise." He told Khoti.

"Hey... since when did we get a Tanzar all the way here?" Khoti mumbled. "Aw... it can talk, too..." It would almost be amusing if it wasn't so worrying. Any other time, he'd be poking fun at Khoti, his serious, deadpan brother.

"There isnt a Tanzar, Khoti. That's the delirium. You're seeing things still. Tanzars are probably extinct, unless some were transported. You know, being a not so space faring animal. They wouldn't be able to work one of our ships." Why was he explaining this?

"Well, I never heard of a talking pink one anyway." Khoti managed to mumble. "It's saying a lot of weird things about my choice of wardrobe..." Alyru snorted and couldn't help but chuckle.

"What does it think of your cape?" Alyru teased. Khoti managed through even his fever and exhaustion and hallucinations to shoot Alyru a glare. Dedication.

"The cape has been handed down for _generations_, Alyru. Taanyth has one too, you know."

"Yeah, I guess. He wears Dad's. You wear our mom's dad's." Alyru smirked.

"Its stylish." Khoti snapped, then turned to the invisible Tanzar. "It is _not_."

Alyru rubbed his pointed ears. "What'd it say now, hmm? I can't hear it, remember?"

Khoti puffed. "Mr. Pink here called my cape unnecessary. The nerve..." he began to trail off again. Alyru couldn't help but be worried again as the amusing moment passed. He tucked his brother carefully in a little more and sat down again in the chair by the bed.

"Please get better soon. I know you're tough. I know you're gonna get through it eventually, just... keep going." He leaned back in the chair, starting to doze off.

"Keep going."


	5. Day 4: Human Shield

_-Three years before reaching Earth- _

Taanyth walked back to the small campfire, a local lizard like creature in hand. It was the only edible looking thing he had been able to find. As he approached their campsite, he saw Ayatos practicing some manipulation of a rock. Well, more like practicing lifting it. The youngest had struggled with telekinesis in the past. He walked past and grabbed a sharp stick, puncturing the dead creature on it and sticking it by the fire. Ayatos turned from the rock.

"Is that all you could find?" He asked.

"Yes, that's it. This isn't a very friendly planet. Unfortunately, it was the only in the system with any life at all. So we'll have to put up with it until I can get more fuel for the ship." Taanyth wasn't happy about the situation either, but at least they were alive.

Ayatos sat down and Taanyth sat next to him, wrapping a large arm around his little brother. They watched the unappetizing lizard slowly cook until Taanyth heard a soft sound nearby. The sun had set, so it was dark.

There could be predators.

He stood and grabbed the blanket they had, wrapping it around Ayatos' little shoulders.

"Stay still. I think there's something here other than us." He looked around, unable to see much in the dark. The small fire didn't do much for light. Ayatos looked nervous, curling more into his blanket.

"I'm scared." He whispered. Taanyth continued to look around when he heard another soft sound. Alarian hearing was good. It was coming from the ridge above the ship. He peeked up there and saw nothing, but...

He threw some energy into a bolt of light and launched it over the cliff. Perhaps a waste of energy, but he may find out soon. There was a startled screech and then he heard something that didn't sound like a wild animal.

Ayatos screamed when a plasma bolt from an unseen weapon hit the stone next to him. Taanyth immediately moved closer to his brother to protect him. Another shot hit way too close. Either the attackers were stunned or bad at aiming. Taanyth scooped Ayatos up and ran for the ship, only to get hit in the leg by a good shot. He rolled, trying to keep the shaking Ayatos safe at all costs.

"Brother!" Ayatos yelped. Taanyth looked up and saw shady figures getting closer in the night. His leg was bad, he could feel it. No time to heal it, they were approaching...

A shadow moved in front of him. While he was on the ground, Ayatos stood bravely in front of him and the shadowy figures.

"If you want my big brother, you'll have to go through me!" Taanyth was panicking. What was Ayatos doing? One good shot could kill him! Then he saw a faint glow flickering in Ayatos' left hand.

_Shield. He's trying to shield. But he's still bad at putting out a significant output. _

Ayatos was struggling to put a shield up, and what size he was going for, Taanyth couldn't tell. Ayatos was unfortunately bad at keeping a solid flow going, always had been. Shields were also a large drain.

Zap. Ayatos let out a startled pained cut off sound and hit the sand. The attackers were not deterred by a small boy. Taanyth gathered strength and scooped up Ayatos again, managing to summon his own shield. It was shaky due to his pain, but solid enough. He looked his brother over.

His stomach. Burned. Ayatos' eyes were wide and he was startled.

"Sorry again, can't-"

"Shh. I got this." Taanyth told his brother. But he didnt. Years of wandering through space looking for somewhere, anyone. He was tired. But Ayatos was hurt.

Maybe he could do this. As he was gathering more energy, he felt Ayatos shift.

"Not gonna give up." He mumbled. The glow managed to stay more steady as he summoned it again. Another shield, thin and stuttered, joined Taanyth's. The older couldn't have been more proud.

"Alright, let's fly this stack." Taanyth told his brother. Ayatos nodded.

"What first?" He asked.

"First, hold that a little while." The attackers held distance, unsure about moving in. They watched the pair, waiting. They chittered to each other, confused about the light glowing sphere around the two. Taanyth struggled to his feet. They chirped alarmingly, pointing their weapons at him.

He limped on, carrying his brother into the ship and set him down on one of the back areas, blanket still around him.

Once they were in a good orbit, he could heal them. The small ship left the planet behind, lizard forgotten.


	6. Day 5: Gunpoint

A dark cloaked figure moved through the streets, under the cover of darkness. It turned into an alley and started climbing the fence. Clearing it easily, the figure continued on down its route, watching everything around it. It was a nice night, he thought.

Click.

"Alright there bud, empty ya pockets." Ifur tried to turn to see what was happening, but felt what was probably the attacker's gun sticking into his back, just next to his spines. "No fancy moves there. Who you think ya are, Aragorn?" The mugger laughed. Ifur sighed. This is what he got for going flying late at night. Fortunately for him, the man didn't seen to realize what the purpose of his cloak was.

"Aight, sure. Lemme get what I've got." He didn't have pockets. The clothes he wore were made for dragon people, not humans. Besides, he wouldn't be able to get things out of a small pocket anyway, with big paws. Instead he pretended to shuffle around looking for things. "You watch Lord of the Rings?" Ifur asked, stalling. Nerd talk, he could do.

"Maybe. What da ya care, smarty?" The mugger grunted. "Juat hurry up and drop ya valuables. Nice and easy."

Ifur sighed dramatically. "I'm sorry to distress you sir, but I seem to have nothing on me." He shook his head. In the dark, and with his cloak, the man could not see his lack of pants. Just leather covers and the armor he took good care of. "Would you like me to dance in drag and do the hula instead?"

"That ain't funny! I said give me ya stuff, wise guy!" The mugger whisper-yelled, digging his gun into Ifur's back.

"Told ya. Dont got anything. You ain't so bright, fella." He turned and fixed his acid green eyes on the mugger.

The man swore and jumped back. "What in tarnation! It's a demon!" Ifur grumbled softly.

"That's not very polite. I'm not a demon." He threw off his cloak with a dramatic flair, knowing the man was spooked. "I'm your worst nightmare." He threw open his wings, hissing and baring his fangs. The man shrieked and dropped his weapon, backing up. "And you've met with a terrible fate." He let gas into his jaw and started the beginnings of a small burst of fire. He was sure he looked ferocious. The man curled into himself, clearly regretting dropping his only defense.

"Please don't hurt me!" He whimpered.

Ifur immediately closed his wings, grabbed his cloak with a claw and threw it over himself again. "Man, I've always wanted to say those lines in proper context. If only I could be as cool as Mushu." He giggled to himself and walked off, heading home and leaving the man alone.

Maybe he'd think twice before putting a _dragon_ nerd at gunpoint.

Ifur whistled Lost Woods to himself as he moved down the sidewalk, knowing he was close to the house. He figured he'd have to work on not being jumped when he went out at night. At least he'd handled this well. It was a shame he could really only be himself online. Not many people saw him for who he was.

He would go out at night and fly over the city when no one would notice him. That was really the only outside things he did. Most other days were spent playing his favorite games and chatting with friends. Ifur was torn between missing his old life with the dragon tribe he'd left behind, and the life he had now.

He wished he could be out more often, but again, not many people knew walking talking dragon people existed. He needed one of the others with him to help alleviate any situations that may pop up. Same went for Toothless, but at least some people knew he existed. Toothless was kind of a celebrity aven if not all people realized there were dragons at all still. It was all such a mess...

Oh well.

Maybe some Stardew Valley would cheer him up.


	7. Day 6: Dragged away

_-One Year before reaching Earth- _

Ayatos sat by the small fire, watching the flames dance. He missed home. He missed Khoti and Alyru. Mom and dad. He even missed his old grumpy history teacher. Tears welled up in his eyes, not for the first time since he'd watched his home planet explode under the power of the mysterious weapon. He'd been trying to stay strong, but it was hard. He didn't know if anyone but him and Taanyth were out here. Was Alyru alive? Was Khoti? Were they looking for him and his brother?

Did it even matter? He was tired. Taking a shaky breath, he put the blanket aside and stood. He needed to work on his output. Ever since the sandy planet in the Nomarian system, he'd been more determined than ever to raise his max. That shaky shield was just the beginning. Rubbing his hands together, he let energy flow through him without any particular reason or focus. He barely felt any.

"Thin conduits." The doctor had said. "Didn't form properly. They're not gonna hurt him, but it'll take him more effort to get stuff done. It should fix itself after a couple dozen cycles."

It had been what, 40 years since he had gotten it in the first place? He'd improved, with each cycle it was easier. But he had a ways to go. Ayatos took a deep breath and pushed some more serious energy through his body. It struggled to hold a solid flow, nowhere near as strong as his brothers'. But getting there. A personal best.

He pulled his hands apart and pushed all the energy he'd managed to summon in between them, creating a ball of white crackly and flowy energy, licking at his hands and going between them and the conduits inside him.

A growl from the bushes startled him, and the energy retreated into his hands, without any focus to hold it there. He turned just in time to see a large feathered predatory looking thing emerge from the forest. It screeched and lunged immediately, lashing out. Ayatos jumped back into a roll, getting to his feet just in time to be caught by a beaklike mouth. It scraped his side, drawing blood.

He dodged as best he could, but was eventually smacked into a tree by a large tail. The world spun and his vision went white. That hurt. He felt something close around him and suddenly he was being carried or in the things mouth. He let out a cry for help. Taanyth had been looking for food. Maybe he'd hear.

No answer came, and he felt himself beginning to go unconscious in the creatures mouth.

"Taa...nyth...help..."

* * *

Taanyth returned to the clearing only to see everything a mess. He dropped the large fruits he'd found in shock. There were large claw marks in the ground, the blanket was covered in loose dirt, and Ayatos was nowhere to be found. There was a trail leading out into the bushes. He immediately grabbed the sword and shield from the ship. No time to put on his armor.

He broke into a sprint, following the trail as best he could, running. Through the trees, around logs, through ditches, over the stream. He saw a cave in the side of a hill, and large footprints around it. Immediately fearing the worst, he unsheathed the sword.

"If Ayatos is hurt, then so help me..."

He charged in, and saw the creature for the first time. Feathered and larger than a man, it held Ayatos in its beak-snout and turned when it heard him. It raised large forearms and growled, throwing the boy to the side. Taanyth held his weapon out, took a fighting stance.

"Alright, beast. You better have a good reason for treating my little brother like this."

It reared up, giving a nasty growly roar and charging.

* * *

Ayatos blinked. The world started to come back to his senses. First, feeling. He was being held, jostled. Hearing. Distant panting, footsteps. Then, the pain. He felt ground underneath him a moment later and heard Taanyth's voice.

"Ayat...there? Hold...heal." Wait... what?

Pain. He jerked, letting out a whine. Firm hands kept him down, energy from a different source touched his wound and forced the skin and muscle to repair at a faster then natural speed.

His vision swam and sparkled, and all he could do was wait for it to be done. It stopped suddenly, and when he opened his eyes again he was on the ship, covered in a blanket and being watched by his brother.

"Hey." Taanyth said. "Glad you're awake, bud. You had me scared." Ayatos couldn't bring himself to reply. He was just tired. "Planet's behind us, bud. Got some food too. First, rest." Ayatos sat up slightly and met his brother's eyes. Taanyth was hurt himself, he had what looked like some fresh scabs on his face and on his arms. At least they were both alive.

"Sorry." Ayatos mumbled. If only he could take better care of himself out shook his head and ruffled Ayatos' hair.

"Don't be."


	8. Day 7: Isolation

Silence. Freezing cold. Endless void populated only by stars. Khoti stared out into space through the window of the ship, barely awake. He'd ran out of food a few days ago despite careful planning, and he was floating dead in space on momentum alone to conserve fuel. Hopefully he'd find something. If he could get close to a sun, he could refuel the ship. He needed a planet. Something life sustaining.

Ten years, he'd been wandering through space, having no idea if he would survive and if he'd ever see any of his people again. He'd landed on many planets, circled many moons, passed some nebulas. It was all the same at this point.

He needed some interaction with someone. Unfortunately space was big and very empty.

Turning to the back area of the ship, where his bunk and the small storage was, he stood and moved to his bag. He looked through it. All practical items. Dagger, medical stuff, extra clothes... his cape... ...a... a stuffed animal?

How had that gotten there?

He stared at it. Skoops. Ayatos' old toy. Maybe it had gotten grabbed in the mess. Ayatos had kept it well, and now, somehow it was here. A three horned four limbed catlike creature with spines and stripes.

"Ah. A Skoutoop. Right. Not native to where we grew up. Got this on that one vacation we took..." he muttered to himself. "Want to keep me company?" He asked the doll, then immediately felt silly. He was talking to a stuffed creature.

After a moment watching it in his hands he smiled slightly and stumbled back to the dash, slumping in the chair. "Ever seen space like this, little fella?" He asked, holding it close to his chest. It made him feel less alone. How had he never noticed he had a stowaway for so many years? Who knows.

At least it was something.

"I wonder if Ayatos misses you."

* * *

Khoti awoke suddenly to an alarm. Looking the dash over, he gathered that there was a collision incoming, and looking up out the window, realized with what. An asteroid field. Cursing, he turned the engines back on and pulled the ship into a course around the field. It was bigger than he thought.

He looked over at Skoops, sitting on the dash where he'd placed the stuffie a month ago when he'd discovered him. "Hang on, it's gonna be bumpy!" He snapped and nosedived the ship around a large asteroid. He weaved in and out, turning the engines off and on to carry him around the large rocks. After a few minutes of tricky maneuvering, the end presented itself. He gunned for it, and cleared the field.

"Holy meos, that was crazy." He sighed, turning the ship back on course and switching off the engine. Khoti could only hope he hadn't burned too much fuel. He did however, see a star that seemed closer. A solar system, perhaps, and even if it wasn't, at least he could refuel again. He looked over at Skoops, who had tipped over and was sitting on his side from all the turbulence.

Khoti gingerly set him upright.

* * *

Almost fourteen years alone had taken its toll. Khoti was sure he was losing his mind slowly despite regular brain excercises and keeping fit whenever he could. He was doing his best to survive, and even giving his core proper workouts with the rest of him.

But as usual, his core had it's own things to do, another cycle was passing. Good thing he'd landed on a nice little planet to wait it out. He lay in his bunk, staring at the dark ceiling of the ship, in pain and dizzy as normal. Core cycles were natural and perfectly normal and yet after years, he still couldn't quite get used to them. He just wished one of his brothers were here to help him get through it.

He turned and saw Skoops, sitting quietly on the table and he reached over and grabbed the small plush.

"I could use a friend right now. You don't mind, do you?" He asked, chuckling softly as he settled in bed again. "It's harder alone. We're a social species, you know." He informed his stuffed companion. It stared calmly at him, and he could almost imagine it saying "Hope you're okay."

"You would have seen Ayatos through a few of his own." Khoti pondered out loud. "And his were rough, so... he would have hugged you tight, I'm sure." He mumbled. "You should be used to it." He smiled and gently hugged the small toy.

It did help. Somehow.

"I really am losing it." He started laughing sadly. "I really am..."

Skoops remained a silent friend, comforting for a piece of fabric. It felt like a life before, a family missing. A home gone. Tears not from the discomfort he was in but from something else broke loose, and he stared at nothing. He hadn't let himself cry.

_"Now when I'm gone some day, Kho, you gotta look after your brothers. Tan's the oldest, I know. But you're the strongest." _

_"But what if I can't, father? What if they all rely on me and I fail? What if..."_

_"We're at war, son. You have to be prepared. One day your mother and I wont be here. You all have to stick together and live." _

_"Yes, father. I'll try."_

"I'll try." He mumbled, hugging Skoops tight. "I did try."

Where was Taanyth? Ayatos? Alyru? He didn't know. He'd left them. He'd failed. Ayatos wouldn't last a day alone. Alyru was stronger, but what if... had anybody at all survived? If so, where were they, and why hadn't he seen anyone? Why hadn't he felt anyone?

Was he alone?

* * *

Khoti woke up slowly, feeling a buzz in his head.

_Fifteen years._

The ceiling span, and he felt weird. His core was shifting slightly, perhaps because of the upsetting dream. His heart was pounding, and so was his head. He needed fresh air. Actual fresh air, not just the ship's filtered air. He wanted trees... grass... blue sky. A lovely orange sun.

Rubbing a hand on his chest, he stumbled out of the bunk and almost tripped. With a moan, he sat down in the dash chair, staring out at the spinning stars.

_Fifteen years alone._

"Completely alone." He turned and acknowledged Skoops. "Oh, sorry. No offense, Skoops. You're just not much for conversation." He mumbled.

Skoops did nothing, but still seemed offended.

"Its not your fault. You just dont have a mouth." Khoti told the toy.

His dizziness must be making him see things. Skoops had raised an eyebrow at him.

"Now now, no need to be sassy. I was just-"

An awkward silence.

"Sorry." He stared into space for what could have been a minute or an hour. "Want to hear what I dreamt?" He asked Skoops.

Silence.

"Alright, don't get too excited. I can take a hint. I'm boring, I know. Would you rather play a game?" Khoti looked at the toy.

Silence.

"Well, fine. Um... how about... guess what I'm thinking of?"

Again, nothing.

"Alright, uh... its round."

A ball?

"No, that's too simple, Skoops. Think more complex. This is supposed to be fun!" He laughed.

Okay.

"Its green. And blue. And brown. And white... and-"

Home.

"You're a good guesser." He complimented the stuffie. "Alright, next-"

Alyru.

"Come on, at least give me a chance to describe him first!" Khoti snapped. He turned away from Skoops, staring at the swaying stars. "Not fair..."

Silence.

Khoti rubbed a hand absent mindedly on his chin, realizing with a start that he had facial hair. "Well that's not right. Next planet I'm shaving. I look terrible with a beard." He said. "Never could nail the look."

Suddenly, his core moved. It activated, sending a wave of energy through him. He froze, snapped out of his crazy daze. The feeling was...

Familiar.

Distant.

Deep.

Mysterious.

...Love. Pleading.

It couldn't have been his core trying to help him, it felt like...

His mind zipped back all the way to core class in school. Cores could communicate with other cores. They could do it over distance, too. They didn't usually do it on their own. He closed his eyes, and focused on the strange feeling.

A silent voice, calling...

_Please... if anyone is out there, I'm here. I'm here and I'm scared. Please. If anyone can hear me, answer. Reach back. Please._

That wasn't his message. It was coming from someone else, reaching out into space with a signal.

It had no voice, being a silent call. It just felt pleading. He could feel which direction, too. Shifting the ship into a different direction and turning on the engines, he headed for it, feeling the first burst of hope in years.

* * *

He didn't know who was calling, but after he had responded to the signal, every night after, the same response had echoed out through the strange way cores communicated.

_Yes. Please. Yes. Come_.

He stared at this planet he'd followed the signal too, and waited for the ship to scan it. Life. Intelligent, and a society. There were satellites, and there were cities. Not much sign of space travel though. Being in such a far sector, he didn't know what to expect. Sighing, he waited for the location his strange new contact lived in to be dark so he could land stealthily.

And he did.

In a field outside of a strange house far away from some larger cities, he landed. Stepping out with a dizzy lurch, he looked at the strange building. He heard some movement and a door to the house opened, sending light across the grass, and onto the side of his ship.

"Hello?" He asked, squinting into the light.

There was a beat of silence. "Hi?" A voice asked. Khoti dared to reach out with his core.

_I'm here._

_Me too_.

He grinned like an idiot, moving forward as quickly as he could. The other one moved forward too. Without thinking at all, they both hugged, laughing. After a long moment, Khoti pulled back.

"I thought I'd never see another Alari-" he stopped. The stranger had gasped loudly.

"Khoti?" He asked, sounding shocked.

Khoti blinked, confused. "Yes?"

"Kho!" He yelled, clearly happy. That voice...

"...Ru?" Khoti asked. Alyru let energy flow into his arm and lit up a ball of light in his hand, Illuminating the pair. He was crying, clearly very relieved and happy.

"You look a mess, brother." Alyru said, trembling.

"You look good." Khoti responded. Alyru grabbed his brother's hand and led him toward the house.

"Come inside. I've got some friends I'd love you to meet."

Khoti grinned and walked along, feeling a ton of relief, a burden lifting. It wasn't home, not yet. But it would be. As long as Alyru was there, some hope was there.

He wasn't alone after all.


	9. Day 8: Stab wound

Toothless hissed in pain. He hadn't expected a knife in his shoulder. He bucked wildly, trying to throw his attacker off. He'd just fallen asleep outside the house, he didn't think he'd be ambushed by some crazy dragon hater with a knife. He roared loudly and managed to throw the attacker off. The human scrambled to his feet, pointing his knife at the Night Fury.

Toothless hissed ferociously. Just because he lived in a house, and slept like a cat didn't mean he defend himself. The attacker hesitated, weighing his options between an angry Night Fury and running for his life. Whatever he had tried to accomplish, Toothless didn't know. He just wanted this guy gone. He stood on his hind legs and roared.

With a shriek, the man threw the knife with all his might at the dragon and ran for it. Toothless yelped in pain when the knife hit his soft stomach. It had managed to lodge itself in his scales, and as soon as he shifted slightly, it hurt a lot. Grumbling, he turned and started making his way home despite the pain.

"Stupid guy. Now I've got a knife in me and I need help. Doggone it..." He grumbled to himself. "Some days it dont pay to sleep outside in the evening air. Some people just hate dragons, I guess." He was dizzy by the time he got to the edge of the forest that bordered the house. He stopped, unable to take another step. The ground was spinning too much.

"Dang... it..." He wheezed, then flopped over on the ground.

* * *

Ayatos blinked at the sight. Toothless was lying outside, but not because he was asleep. He ran out into the morning, headed for the dragon lying at the edge of the woods.

"Toothless!" He yelled, kneeling at the dragon's side. "Are you awake?" Toothless's earfin twitched and he opened a green eye to look at Ayatos.

"Sort of." The voice came softly. "Kind of... bleeding." Ayatos looked at the trail of red from the dragon's stomach and winced. A knife was there, somehow still lodged, and a wound had been cut from being moved around. "I was... ambushed." The dragon groaned lazily, and the translator buzzed out the words to match. "Some punk in black. He doesn't deserve the... the color..."

"Hold still. I'll... gosh, no one's wake this early..." Ayatos fretted. He'd come to like the sarcastic somewhat lazy Night Fury. "I can try to heal you... no that won't do much. I'm not that good at it and this is pretty bad. Hold on, I'll get Alyru." Ayatos turned and dashed inside as fast as his short legs could carry him, leaving Toothless in the grass.

The dragon moaned softly and stared at the sky above, which was slowly getting brighter. He was lucky Ayatos was an early riser.

* * *

Ayayos came running back, panting, with Alyru at his heels. The older boy's eyes widened at the shape of his friend.

They'd bonded more than the producers of the movie they both starred in could know. He kneeled at Toothless's side without hesitation, looking the wound over.

"Hey, bud." He murmured.

Toothless responded with a wordless croon. As Alyru inspected the knife wound, Ayatos hovered nearby.

"Anything I can do?" He asked, worried.

"Grab some disinfectant and bandages. It's been too long to heal with energy. Too risky. Could be infected. Gotta do it the old fashioned way."

Ayatos nodded and turned once again to run to the house. Alyru worked in silence, looking his friend over and finding another cut on his shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Toothless. I promise." Alyru whispered.

"You're the best." Toothless mumbled. Ayatos returned and Alyru very gently removed the knife, working on the wound. Having a weaker stomach, Ayatos backed away and gently gave the Night Fury some scratches on his chin.

Toothless closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep again, knowing he was in good hands.

His Hiccup was the best one.


	10. Day 9: Shackled

Alyru opened his eyes slowly, confused. Why was there pain in his chest? That was concerning. He looked around and slowly realized he was not home. He wasn't anywhere he recognized.

He was in pain.

He was chained.

He gasped and looked around wildly, more awake. He was chained to a wall by his leg, and his hands were bound together. He managed to sit up only to feel a sharp pain in his chest again. In exactly the spot he didn't want to feel it. Looking down, he saw a bad wound on his lower chest, partially bandaged so he wasn't bleeding everywhere. It hadn't hit his core directly, but one of the conduits very close to the core. Enough to render it useless for the moment until it healed itself.

His head also pounded, and he was hungry. He'd been stripped of his dagger, his shirt, belt, and vest. He was still wearing his pants and his boots, at least.

So, Alyru wondered, how had he gotten into this situation?

His head was still fuzzy, but he scooted closer to the wall and leaned against it with a sigh. He tried to remember how he'd gotten into this situation.

_Men. Men in black clothes with a strange emblem on the shoulder. I'd been going for a walk. I was jumped. I fought back, and one of them got me in the chest. Another hit my head. Everything blacked out._

Well. This was a problem. If no one realized he was gone, he had no chance of getting out until his core healed the damage on its own. Which could take a week or longer, depending on the damage. Closing his eyes, he started to ponder a way out of this mess.

Who were these people? Were they the same people who'd attacked Toothless a week ago? He didn't know.

If there were some humans who knew about him and his brothers, that was bad. Especially if they meant harm. At least it wasn't Ayatos in here. Out of curiosity, he tried activating his core.

It went about as well as he expected. A sharp pain, and no energy. He immediately regretted trying it.

"Sorry, buddy." He mumbled aloud. "I'll let you heal..." he whispered. Trying to get comfortable, he decided to just wait.

Something had to happen.

* * *

The door to the room he was being held in opened. He stayed still on the floor, deciding to just hold and see what happened.

A kick in the ribs happened. He hissed in sudden agony, as the kick had nicely hit close to his damaged conduit.

"Get up." A harsh voice snapped. "On your feet."

He stiffened and managed to get onto his knees, staring up at whoever was there. Two men, wearing the same black uniforms. He stared dumbly, wondering if he could get away with pretending he'd never learned English. The man sighed and roughly shoved the Alarian to his feet. Alyru tried not to react and just stood there.

The guard moved down and undid his chains. Alyru tensed. A way out? No. Wait. Not a good opportunity. He was shoved down the hall and moved along obediently.

Where was he being taken?

* * *

His vision swam. The light above him spun and shook like he was seeing it underwater.

"He woke up!"

"Guess the darts dont do much for this critter."

"Well, he's incapacitated enough, let's just cut him open."

The distant voices were caught by his good ears and he inwardly began to worry. He was very numb and sleepy. What were they doing to him?

To his _core_?

Terror overtook him and he tried to look at what they were doing. A hand held his head down. Or at least he thought it was a hand. Maybe he was just too weak.

_No_. _This can't be happening_.

He struggled in and out of seeing and feeling, like his mind was drowning. He was on the verge of all out panic.

If they seriously injured or removed his core, he'd die.

"Heart...fast. Maybe..."

"What... thing? Boss? ...glows!"

"Poke..."

Something poked his core. He screamed, moving only to find he was very firmly held down. White pain shot through him.

_No. No. No. No. Stop. Don't._

"...maybe..."

"No. Heart... he might..."

"Can't..."

"Remove..."

"No...alive. Don't...again."

Alyru tried desperately to wrench out of the binds, probably hurting himself in the process. Stars, this hurt. What did they want? Was he just a fascinating animal to be poked at to them? He whined long and loud. He just wanted it to stop.

Eventually, and he wasn't sure when, he passed out.

* * *

When eventually conciousness found him again, he was lying in a much softer bed. He began to wonder if he was home, and maybe Ayatos or Khoti was nearby right now.

Until he felt the binds. He was still here.

His chest felt like it was on fire.

"Alright, you're awake." He started at the voice and turned to a man in all black sitting in a chair next to him. "Sit up." The man commanded.

Alyru just blinked at him.

"I know you can understand me." The man said sternly. "Up."

Alyru decided to fix the man with the nastiest glare he could muster, and did indeed sit up. He almost fell over again from the wave of dizziness and pain. He almost felt like throwing up, and if his stomach wasn't empty, he might have.

"Alright, now. I have some questions to ask. You will answer them." The man stated, pulling a pen and clipboard out and adjusting his glasses. Alyru snorted.

As if.

The man stared Alyru in the eyes. "So, how long have you been hiding here on earth?" He asked.

Alyru just stared at him, not bothering to answer.

"Come now, you'll make it easier on both of us " The man told Alyru. "My higher ups will be very upset if I dont get some answers out of you. Both you and I will be better off in life if you cooperate." He gave Alyru an over the glasses look.

Alyru gave him a rude Alarian gesture with both hands. When the man stared, confused, he switched to a rude human gesture. The man looked more surprised than anything.

"Hmm. So you understand the meaning of that." He took note.

Alyru smirked.

"Interesting. Now, if you could answer the question." The man stated again. "How long have you been on earth?"

Again, Alyru didn't answer. The man sighed.

"You're not just hurting yourself with this, you know. We have a lot of info on where you live, and who you live with. Your little group has been under our watch for a while."

Alyru tried not to let anything show, but this hit something. He hoped his interrogator didn't notice.

"We have ways of getting cooperation." The man stated, with no small undertone of a threat. "You may regret not doing as we ask. We have no intention of harming you or any of your friends. Not yet at least, as long as we're sure you're not a threat." The man continued.

Alyru sighed.

As long as he was careful.

"20 years." He stated. The man smiled and wrote it down.

"Good boy. Now. What is your name? I have it here as Alvin, or Al. Apparently you've gone by this in the past, and you also seemed to have starred in a movie. Not laying very low, I see."

Alyru rolled his eyes. "So what. Needed currency, made a few friends."

"Yes, and apparently the dragon living with you currently is the same one who acted in that movie as well." The man smiled slightly. "My daughters love that movie, actually."

"Cute. My name is Alyru." The Alarian stated flatly.

"How do you spell it?"

"Well, our alphabet is different from yours, but it can be spelled in English well enough." He mumbled. "A, l, y, r, u."

"I see," The man wrote it down. "And do you have a last name?"

"Lief. ...uh, L, i, e, f."

"Hmm. Okay." The man reviewed another paper and looked up again. "What is the object in your chest, what are its functions, just tell me any info you can about it."

Alyru scowled.

"Absolutely not." Cores were important. Special. These people were not going to get anything out of him in that regard. The man looked annoyed.

"Come now, why is that so hard? Please, just tell me. Are they some sort of advanced technology? Our xrays seemed to indicate they are alive. Do they grow? How do you get them?"

Alyru mustered the glare back up.

"I don't have to tell you anything about them. And if you rip me open again, I'll show you what we use them for." He growled.

The threat seemed effective. The man must have heard of the strange lightning Alyru had shot out while defending himself. With a sigh, the man wrote something I his notes and stood.

"We'll sort this out la-"

An explosion. Yelling. The man turned, startled. Alyru began to grin. The door burst open, and Khoti and Taanyth stood there, in full armor and glowing with ferocity.

Alyru giggled. "You're in trouble now!" He sang, relieved. "Oh, it is so good to see you two!" He told his brothers.

The man with the clipboard backed up, clearly nervous.

"Now now, no need to-" He yelped and dropped his clipboard when he hovered into the air, Taanyth holding him up with a single handful of energy. The eldest brother looked ticked off. He stepped forward, coldly staring the man in the eyes.

"If you ever, EVER, touch my brothers, or their friends ever again, I will personally launch you into space. You and your entire organization or whatever the hell this is." He said slowly. "And another thing. You tell your people that we just want to live here peacefully. But we WILL defend ourselves, and each other."

Even Alyru was intimidated. He'd never seen Taanyth like this before. Khoti meanwhile was standing by the door.

"Get Ru and let's go." He told Taanyth. "I have a hunch there'll be more of them."

Taanyth looked about to throw the man aside, but he ended up just setting him down. There was a warning look in those eyes. He walked swiftly over to Alyru and undid his bonds and chains.

"Let's get you home." He said gently, scooping Alyru up. As they turned to go, Alyru met eyes with the man he had just decided to nickname Mr. Clipboard.

"Tell your daughters Hiccup says hi!" He said cheerily as he was carried out.


	11. (BonusSetup for unconcious)

Richard watched boredly as Ayatos tried for the tenth time to summon a more substantial shield. It was early, and he'd been awake, so he figured he'd keep an eye on the little fellow, who liked to practice his stuff out in the woods in the morning. Ever since Alyru had been kidnapped, they couldn't be too careful.

Ayatos let out a frustrated noise and tried again. A blueish white sphere showed around him, faded and wobbly. He strained to put more energy into it and managed to get it a little thicker.

"How's it look?" He asked Richard.

Richard just shrugged. "Shieldy. What can I say, not an expert." He examined his arm and looked up to see Ayatos looking kind of bummed. "Hey, still better than your last attempt." He told the little fellow. Ayatos straightened right up at the encouragement and Richard saw him tense and put more into it. The shield glowed a little brighter.

"Huh. Pretty nice." Richard stated, giving him a small smile. "Better than I can do." He chuckled.

Ayatos blinked. "You dont have a core, silly." He told the human.

"Yeah, I know." Richard stated nonchalantly. He examined his shirt again.

He wanted one, however. He'd seen what they could do, and had heard things too. It was like magic in a ball. As far as he could tell, you just popped one in your chest and it did what you wanted. It sounded amazing. All the brothers seemed to take them so seriously. He wanted to ask but had been to nervous to.

Well, no time like now. Ayatos seemed like the easiest to approach.

"Hey kid," Richard began. "How do those things work, anyway?" Ayatos turned and blinked. One of those funny pointy ears twitched. Apparently it was an Alarian thing. They twitched occasionally, and even moved to help express emotion. Like cats. And they were cute.

"Well, if an object hit it, the idea is that the energy would absorb and deflect it." Ayatos educated with a curious look. "Why?"

"No, not the shield. That's interesting though. I'm talking about the core thing itself." He said, trying to sound somewhat uninterested.

Ayatos blinked slowly and lowered the shield.

"You wanna know, huh?" He asked, walking over. He sat down in the grass next to Richard, across from the rock the human was leaning on. He had a thoughtful and calculated look on his small baby face.

Richard knew he was way older than he looked. He was still technically a kid, but he was as old as Richard's grandfather. It freaked him out a tad, to be honest.

"What do you know so far?" Ayatos asked. "So I don't tell you stuff you already know."

Richard tilted his head back in thought. "Well I know they're powerful things you put in your chest and then they give you powers or whatever." He sniffed.

Ayatos nodded. "There's a lot more to them, but I suppose that works for a basic explanation." He took a deep breath. "They're living organisms with a lot of power that we have a..." he paused. "Symbiotic relationship with. They grow as a part of us and we both gain more from it. There's these," He held out his arm and rolled his sleeves up, then traced a finger along his arm. "Our conduits, that actually carry the energy along our body." He demonstrated by making that arm glow very softly. Richard's eyebrows raised slightly. He hadn't noticed that.

Ayatos turned around and lifted his shirt and vest.

"Here, also," He continued. "Put a hand up there just halfway up my back." Richard hesitated, but Ayatos seemed fine. He gently placed a hand there. Ayatos tensed just slightly.

What's that?" The human asked, confused. "I thought the core was under your heart."

"It is." Ayatos told him. "That's the spot where the core connects to my nerves and brain." Richard's eyes widened and he gently pressed in just a little. He felt something, for sure. Ayatos turned his head slightly. "Do you feel it?" He asked.

Richard nodded. "I think so. Interesting."

Ayatos turned back around and smiled up at Richard. "I think that's a better explanation for you."

"Yeah, that works pretty well. Thanks, little fella."

Ayatos giggled a little. "Sure, big guy. Why'd you ask?"

Richard hesitated. Should he say anything? Sure, why not.

"Cuz I want one." He stated. Ayatos' face dropped and his eyes widened. He stared in disbelief at the human. A human with a core? What? Richard was visibly uncomfortable and was about to pretend he'd been joking when Ayatos shook his head. Why he was, Richard wasn't sure.

"What, I can handle it!" He snapped. Ayatos sighed and stood, going back to his practice. The small boy didn't answer. "Well, I can!" Richard continued. "What makes you think I can't?"

"Never said that." Ayatos stated. "Don't put words in my mouth." Richard groaned inwardly. The boy was dead serious. Ayatos stayed quiet, looking like he was gathering his thoughts.

"You may very well be able to handle and grow and take care of a core like any Alarian." He told Richard. "But you barely even understand them yet. You have to take them very seriously. You have to know what you're getting into. You have to be prepared to fail, or even die." He said this so seriously that Richard began to wonder a little just how Alarians went through this. If Ayatos had experience with this in particular.

Ayatos' yellow-green eyes stared into his blue, such a stormy seriousness in them that Richard's defensiveness vanished.

"I could have died. I know what it's like to have an issue. To be told I wouldn't be able to do it. They told me my genetics would make for a poor core. Only one person believed in me through that. I decided to do it, knowing exactly what could happen. And look." He held up his arm. "Thin, underdeveloped conduits. My core is only now, after years, gaining proper strength." He put his arm down and sighed softly.

"You must know what the risk is. This isn't just deciding to get a new hat, or even a tattoo. This is serious, big. You can't make this decision just because you want to shoot lightning. It's a responsibility."

Richard stared at him, wide eyed. Nervous. Ayatos sighed and closed his eyes, standing still and thinking.

"I can't do it for you anyway. But I know who can. And I'll tell you later. Now, I want you to do me a favor."

"What?" Richard asked, just confused now.

Ayatos resumed holding the shield at the maximum he could. "Throw a rock at it."

Richard snorted. "Isn't that dangerous, though?"

"Well, don't aim it at my head, obviously." Ayatos told him, rolling his eyes. Richard shrugged and picked up a small rock and heaved it at the shield. It held. Ayatos grinned like an idiot, clearly pleased. "Nice." He did a little fist pump of victory.

"Yeah." Richard agreed. "You are a pretty tough little fella." He told Ayatos. "Now, who-" Ayatos gave him a slightly exasperated look and sighed.

"Alyru. He's crazy enough to do it." The boy chuckled. "He was the one to believe I could do it. He'd believe in you too. Just... promise me something, Richard."

Richard nodded. "What?"

"Don't rush into it."


	12. Day 10: Unconcious

Right after the very serious conversation, Ayatos went back to practicing as Richard sat and thought. He did still want one, but was it worth it? To die? Why did he want one, anyway? To show off? No, it was more than that. He was going to talk to Alyru later. Now, he just watched Ayatos.

The Alarian turned his shield on and off, and then stopped.

"Guess I should practice something else for awhile." He muttered. He held a hand out and his arm glowed. Then, a brilliant and odd white flame sprung up from his palm, holding there. It was tiny, but bright. Richard smiled a little.

He'd do that too. He'd be the first human to have a core. He watched as Ayatos put as much juice in it as he could, only to stop suddenly with a yelp. The fire vanished, and Ayatos fell to the ground, suddenly. Richard stiffened.

"Hey, kid you okay?" He asked, slightly worried.

Ayatos didn't respond. Scared, Richard rushed forward and settled next to the boy. He was unconscious as far as Richard could tell. The young man proceeded to begin freaking out.

"No, no! What the he- come on kid, get up! What's wrong?" Richard scooped up Ayatos and gathered the still boy. "Ayatos!" He yelled, holding the little alien gently. No reply. He picked up the little guy and began making his way to the house.

"You better be okay, ya little gremlin." He told Ayatos, shaking and scared as he moved through the forest. The house was still pretty close. He was so concerned with getting home he wasn't watching his steps. Something tripped his feet and he was on the ground before he knew it, Ayatos a foot away.

"Fffffff- ow!" He yelled. "Well this can't get worse!" He shouted, getting to his feet only to crumble again onto his knees. He'd managed to twist his ankle. "Okay, I was wrong." He hissed and started crawling to Ayatos.

The alien was still out. And Richard still didn't know why. He groaned in frustration and shoved Ayatos again, desperate.

"Get up, please, get up!" He was on the brink of tears. He had to take a deep breath to settle himself down. Looking around, he saw a large stick. Moving, he managed to grab it. From there, he got to his feet and started looking around for help.

Still a ways from the house.

He looked down at Ayatos. He couldn't leave the kid. Not with those creepy guys in black out there somewhere. He sighed and sat next to Ayatos, grabbing the small alien and holding him gently in his arms. He was many things. Dumb, perhaps. Self centered? A little. A jerk? Maybe a tad. Ignorant? Yeah. But he was not a total idiot, and he was not going to leave this little unconcious boy out in the woods alone. He resigned himself to sitting here as long as he needed to as long as Ayatos was safe.

* * *

He wasn't sure when he dozed off but he awoke to Alyru's alarmed voice.

"Richard! Ayatos! What happened!" He looked up to see the older brother there, eyes wide and scared. Richard breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ayatos was practicing when he just kinda... fell over. He won't wake up. I twisted my ankle, and couldn't walk. I just stayed with him." Richard stated and gently rubbed Ayatos' small hand with his own. Alyru looked both terrified and relieved. He gently grabbed his little brother and began looking him over, clearly very caring.

Richard watched as Alyru put a hand gently on Ayatos' chest and seemed to listen. The alien's eyebrows furrowed with worry. Richard was nervous, fiddling with his shirt.

"Is he okay? He asked. "Please tell me he's okay."

Alyru sighed and gently set Ayatos aside. "He sprained his core with overdoing it. With a developed core it wouldn't be much of a problem but with him it could be more serious. I've told him to be careful..." He sighed. "Well, let's get that ankle of yours fixed and get him home. He needs to rest."

Richard tensed as Alyru grabbed his right twisted ankle with both hands. Alyru looked him in the eyes. "This is gonna hurt, Rich. Brace yourself." Richard did so, tensing and waiting. Alyru hadn't lied, for sure. As soon as the strange energy his his leg and stared moving the bones with precision back into the right places, his vision went white. It only lasted a moment, and he managed not to scream.

As his sight returned and he was able to focus again, he saw Alyru carrying the quiet and still Ayatos. "You should be able to walk if you use that stick and don't put weight on your leg." Alyru stated, turning towards home. Richard got to his feet and followed slowly, wincing at the still present pain.

He'd have to ask Alyru about the core later. This was more pressing.


	13. Day 11: Stitches

It was more embarrassing than anything. Frank had managed to slip while taking a shower, and had needed stiches. Fortunately he hadn't hit anything super important, but it was irritating to have managed somehow to reopen the scars on his stump.

He was unable to walk. Currently he sat down on his bed, piled with blankets, reading comic books and playing on Ifur's switch. The dragon had fished out the unmodified joycons for him to use.

After all, Frank had been the one to buy it for Ifur in the first place. "I'm just letting you use your own switch." The dragon had joked. He was playing when the dragon himself entered the room.

"Hey." Frank greeted the reptilian fellow.

Ifur smiled a fanged toothy grin. "Hey Frank, how you feelin, amigo?"

Frank just shrugged and continued racing. "Eh."

Ifur climbed onto the bed and sat next to Frank. "Kart deluxe, eh? Having fun?"

"Yeah, I guess. Just can't get super into it. My leg is killing me." Ifur made a sad croon and curled up next to Frank.

"I can grab my clawcons if you want, and we can play together. Maybe some online?" He offered.

Frank shrugged and paused the game. "Nah. Thanks though, buddy. I'm just not feelin good."

Ifur crooned again in response and curled nice and close to Frank as the man put away the Switch for now. He'd return to it later. They sat in silence for a while, Ifur just purring quietly. Frank was comforted by the quiet.

"Hey, remember when you found me?" Ifur asked quietly. "I do."

"Yup." Frank chuckled. "Was up, heard some noises, and saw you in our trash. Just had a hunch. After all, you looked familiar. Invited you inside, gave you some food, and then you admired our old gamecube. Then ya talked for the first time. Yeah. I remember."

Ifur smiled happily and stretched a wing. "Yeah, I guess that sums it up pretty well. Man. It seemed more nuanced than that in memory." He stretched his claws out, yawning.

Frank stared into space for a bit, and the quiet returned.

"You never told me how you ended up here." Frank commented. "Or where you came from." Ifur was quiet for a while, than rolled over slightly and looked up at Frank, pupils wide and relaxed.

"Yeah, I never have." He held up a paw and examined the scales. He reached up with his other claw and picked a loose one off. "A small tribe of dragons like me. We've diminished over generations. I figured that I never fit in there properly. I left them behind and joined humans. Man, my parents would be very disappointed. My tribe hated humans. When I discovered all the good that could come with them, like all these amazing worlds you create, I decided I wanted to learn more."

Frank raised an eyebrow. "Why'd you never say any of this before?"

"You never asked." Ifur told him. "Of course I've had to lay low, as most humans haven't even known our people exist. So they tend to freak out. Which is why I was surprised when you were so friendly."

Frank nodded. "Yeah." Another quiet, where neither spoke.

"How's your leg feel?" Ifur asked. "Any better?"

"No, not really." Frank grumbled. "And its irritating. Haven't felt this useless since I lost the dern thing."

Ifur gently patted his tail on Frank's right leg, and sat up. "I can get the tylenol."

Frank gave him a grateful look. "Thanks, pal." Ifur just gave him a grin. Frank sighed and rolled his eyes. "If only Richard was as open as you."

Ifur shrugged and slid off the right side of the bed, starting to leave. "Anything else I can get for you?"

"How about a sandw- uh..."

"I can handle that." Ifur smiled. "Itll be messy," he flexed his very nimble claws. "But I can make one for you. PB?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"No prob, bob." Ifur slipped out, closing the door with his tail as he left.


	14. Day 12: Don't move

"Dont move."

Alyru's calm voice reached his ears. Richard winced and looked around, confused. What had happened? He found that he was in a muted agony, pain throbbing his entire body, but he wasn't sure from what. It also seemed distant. His vision swam into place a moment later, and...

He was pinned under a tree. A large one. With a panicked yelp he tried to move, only to find he couldn't.

"I said, don't move!" Alyru said again, exasperated. Richard held still.

"What-" He managed to croak. "What happened?"

"We were out in the woods." Alyru explained. "You said you wanted to ask me something. We were standing around when this tree started falling, apparently the ground was weak. You noticed it and shoved me out of the way. Pretty brave, actually."

Richard could feel something creeping up him. Blood? It was getting harder to breathe.

"I'm going to get this thing off you. Just don't move." Alyru said calmly. Richard held as still as he could. He felt energy flow between him and the trunk of the tree, and he heard Alyru grunt with effort. Richard felt his vision going out again. He wasn't sure what was happening.

Energy hit him directly. It flowed into his chest, his arms, his back. He lost consciousness almost instantly.

* * *

"Hey, there we go. Easy." Alyru whispered. Richard managed to open his eyes. The pain was still there, but less. He was more numb and out of it, but he could make out Alyru's face in front of him. "You went out like a light when I healed the damage."

Richard didn't have the energy to get defensive. Alyru seemed more concerned than anything. Richard then realized they were still out in the woods, and it was dark. There was a small fire set up, of all things.

"Why are we still out here?" He asked, trying to get up. Alyru immediately planted a hand on his upper chest, away from where the tree had hit.

"Don't move. Again. Please, just- I couldn't fix all the damage. You need some time." Alyru told him.

"I thought you were a great fixer-upper, what went wrong?" Richard asked.

"I can only do so much." Alyru stated. "You were real close to being much worse off, Rich. Your body needs time between healing for a large amount of damage like this. I only partially healed the damage to the point where you wont die. I'm gonna do the rest when you've relaxed a bit."

"Bu-" Richard began.

"Healing isnt just a magic fix all. It takes energy from not just me, but also you. It's a speed up." Alyru interrupted. "Again, you need time. Can't risk it."

Richard hissed with frustration and stayed still. There was still significant pain in his chest and back, but he could almost relax.

"Okay, open up." He blinked to see Alyru above him again with some food. "Time for something to eat." He looked up to see it was day again. He kept dozing off, apparently. He sighed softly, swallowed his dignity, and began to let Alyru feed him. He was too tired to care.

Stupid tree.

After Alyru finished feeding him, the alien placed his hands gently on Richard's chest. "Time for the other half. You ready?" He asked. Richard nodded and braced himself. Why did these situations keep happening? He remembered just a week ago he'd twisted his ankle and Alyru had healed it. Now this.

Oh well. After this, he'd ask.

Again, the feeling he was now a bit more used to. Energy flowed though his body and it was again, kind of painful and uncomfortable, but there was a gentleness to it. He focused on it, and could feel more layers to the strangeness. A gentle love. A powerful focus. A quiet determination. A knowing practiced skill. Then it stopped. Alyru finished and pulled away.

"I think you're good to try moving now." He told Richard. The human sat up with some difficulty, but he felt lot better. After a moment, where Alyru looked quite relieved, Richard took a deep breath.

"Al?" He asked.

Alyru twitched an ear and looked confused. "Yeah?"

"Remember how I wanted to ask you something?" Richard began, nervous.

"...Yes?" Alyru asked, picking up on Richard's hesitation.

"I want a core." He stated. Alyru reacted immediately, shock, and then... his face went unreadable.

"Listen, I know what you're gonna say. I wont understand. I can't handle it. I dont get the risk. Stuff like that. But I do understand, and I can do it. If you let me, I will do it. I'll learn everything there is to know, I'll choose carefully, I'll accept whatever comes with it, I just want you to consider-" Richard stopped when Alyru silently held up a hand to quiet him.

The alien let out a slow breath.

"Why?" Was all he asked.

Richard froze. He had expected literally any other reaction. Alyru stared into his eyes, very serious. Neither moved. Richard couldn't break eye contact. Something held him in place, still. His thought scrambled and his mind went blank. He panicked.

"Cuz." He mumbled.

"Because _why_?" Alyru repeated.

Richard spluttered. "I- I..." Alyru didn't back down. He stared into Richard's soul at this point, his eyes mysterious and dark. There was no particular expression on his face. Just... waiting.

"I want to prove to myself that I can do something." Richard stated. He surprised himself with that one. "That I'm not useless. I want to be a part of something bigger. I want... I want to change."

He wasn't sure where this had come from himself. Maybe he'd been thinking it all along. Ever since...

Alyru stared on, not reacting at first, then he nodded and relaxed.

"Not bad." He muttered. "Alright, Rich. First, I'll teach you everything Alarians are taught before they are asked if they want one. Everything. Then, I'll ask you if you really, truly want one. If you say yes, then yes, I will give you one. If you're serious." Alyru met his eyes again. Dead serious.

It scared Richard when the brothers were this serious. They were kind of intimidating. He nodded dumly, then realized that Alyru had actually agreed.

"You will?" Alyru nodded slowly at Richard's confused and surprised question. Then the alien stood.

"Let's get home. We should explain to the others why we've been gone a whole day. Knowing Khoti, hes already starting to freak out."

Richard got to his feet. "Thanks." Alyru put a hand on his shoulder.

"You saved me back there. That tree would have easily made a mess of a little stick like me. Thank you, Richard. That's one reason I think you may have what it takes." Alyru stated softly. Richard bit his lip and nodded.

"Yeah."

Maybe he'd get it right this time. Clean slate. Something he wouldn't mess up.


	15. Day 13: Adrenaline

_-30 Years ago-_

Khoti closed the door of their house behind them. He had heard an explosion nearby and said he was going to check it out. Alyru watched him go, feeling a sense of dread. Something was going to go wrong, he could feel it. Ayatos was watching from next to Taanyth, curled up in his brother's arms and a blanket. He was wide eyed and terrified, little pointed ears pinned back as far as they'd go. Taanyth gently patted his back and tried to keep him calm.

There was silence interrupted by occasional explosions in the distance.

That was pretty normal. These attacks would happen every week or so, with the Endarens destroying cities and killing Alarians. The bodies would disappear, and it was rumored the attackers were harvesting the cores. Alyru was very scared, peering out of the windows.

He remembered that they never found their parent's bodies.

He hoped Khoti wouldn't stay out long.

* * *

Hours had passed since Khoti left. Alyru looked back at Ayatos, dozing lightly on the couch while Taanyth made up something for them to eat.

Alyru sighed and walked into the kitchen.

"Tan?" He started.

Taabyth turned from the paltry food he'd managed to scrape up. "Yeah?"

"I'm going to look for Khoti. He's been gone too long." Alyru stated. "I'm getting nervous."

"We can't split up too much." Taanyth told him. "We're stronger together."

"Khoti could be alone or injured or something. I have to find him." Alyru argued. "He may need me. You can stay with Ayatos." Taanyth looked like he was going to argue more, then stopped.

"Alright. Go find Khoti. Be safe, come back."

"I will." Alyru promised. As he left the house, he felt a chill up his spine. He could feel it deep inside him. Something was about to go very wrong, and he feared he'd never see his house or his family again.

* * *

He'd only gone down the ruined street when it went off.

The sirens. The planetwide sirens. They blared loudly, and it could only mean one thing.

Planet evacuation. He'd heard about these sirens before, and they'd been reminded of them at the beginning of the war, after the first large attack. If you heard them, get to a pod station. Leave. No exceptions.

His heart pounded, and he began to panic. Ayatos. Taanyth. Khoti. He could feel the beginnings of adrenaline fueled core energy trickling through his body. There was no time to get to them. He could see something in the sky. Something massive. He had to go, and hope. He prayed silently that his brothers would make it as he ran. The pod station was close, and without thinking, he turned the corner and dashed toward the station, only to see an Endaren ship above it.

Time stopped for him as soon as he noticed a couple of Alarians getting into a pod, not noticing their immediate danger.

He'd never felt such a rush before. Energy like he'd never felt zapped it's way through him, and his core was glowing way brighter than normal. Thoughts reduced to a blur, he took off. The ground left behind, he was in front of the ship in moments.

He let loose the largest charge of a blast he'd ever done with a scream. The ship flew back, very damaged.

The rush wouldn't last much longer, he had to finish it.

Lightning left his arms the moment the thought crossed his mind, and with incredible control and accuracy, they hit the ship and disabled everything. It sat in the street, on fire.

It stopped. His core lost all flow and he ended up falling. He only just managed to catch himself from hitting the ground with a nasty smack. It left him exhausted. The couple, a young man about Taanyth's age and a pregnant young woman, stared at him, shocked but thankful.

"They don't call me Light for nothing." He told them. "Go on, get out of here." The young man nodded and launched the pod, and he watched it go. Alyru then managed to climb into one and launch it too. He felt himself beginning to blank out as Alar, his home, slowly fell away from him. It felt like a bad dream. Except it wasn't.

Then... It happened.

The planet he'd grown up on. The planet that had been the Alarian's home forever...

It exploded. He watched with wide, barely registering eyes as huge chunks of flaming rock flew everywhere, along with bits of already frozen ocean. One flew past his pod. In moments, it was gone.

Pods were everywhere, zipping away from the shrapnel in every direction, and some were being destroyed by the Endarans. Tears stung his cheeks.

_This can't be happening_.

Turning, he put the pod into its fastest mode and left behind everything he'd ever known. He had to survive.

He had to.

"Sorry, Taanyth. I guess we'll have to meet up later." He mumbled.

The last thought to cross his mind before he passed out from the exhaustion, both physical and mental, was that he may just have watched his brothers die too. That it'd be a whole other place where they would meet again.

And mom and dad would be there.


	16. Day 14: Tear stained

Alyru just hadn't been able to sleep. Something was keeping him awake. He shifted in bed, unable to sleep. He hoped he wasn't keeping Ayatos awake in the bunk above him, and decided to just get out of bed. It was probably the restlessness before an incoming cycle, as it was that time of year again. He left, walking down the halls of the silent house in his banana pajamas.

The quiet of the house was oddly calming, and as he was rarely barefoot, he felt very relaxed. A strange peace. Until he entered the living room. As he approached, he heard a very soft sound and walked in to see Richard in front of the TV in a blanket, with the volume nearly all the way down, and a bowl of popcorn on the floor. He blinked.

Richard remained blissfully unaware that Alyru had seen him, shoving another handful of popcorn in his mouth. Alyru decided to approach... carefully.

He very softly sat down next to Richard, who was apparently watching a movie. Looked like Rise of the Guardians. Richard stiffened and turned.

"Al! Uh, didn't hear you! Did I wake you up?' He spluttered.

"Nah. Couldn't sleep." Alyru told him. "Guardians, huh?'

"Yeah. Almost as good as ours." Richard stated. "Remember Jack? He was a cool dude."

"...I guess so. He was alright. I think his real name was actually Jack?" Alyru asked.

"Yeah. He's Canadian, too." Richard laughed softly. It seemed half hearted. Alyru noticed he seemed tense and... upset?

"You okay?" Alyru asked, looking at Richard more intently. To his surprise, the human turned away. He sensed distress and hesitation. "You seem... sad." He asked.

Richard snorted. "Me? Sad? Never. I'm a tough guy. I don't really get sad." It was fake. Alyru saw right through it.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine." Alyru stated. He noted Richard's face looked slightly tear stained in the TV light. He was startled. He'd never seen Richard cry. He had seen Richard's rare softer, gentler side. He knew the human had a tough act most of the time, but there were cracks. And inside was a softer, gentler soul. And some pain, as well.

Richard just never let it show.

The human didn't respond, just stared at the screen.

North was talking to Jack about centers. He remembered the actor for North. Big loud Russian guy with a habit of drinking off set.

He was cut off of his thoughts by soft sobbing. He turned, surprised. Richard's shell was cracked wide open, and he was crying. The TV turned off. Alyru sat back, confused and wanting to help.

"I can leave..." He mumbled. Richard shook his head.

The human didn't seem to be able to articulate anything, he just needed someone. Alyru remembered he'd been weird all day. Maybe this was the reason. He was upset about something. Alyru cautiously wrapped his arms around Richard and pulled the crying human into his arms.

They remained like that for a while until Richard pulled away, rubbing tears off of his face. He seemed to compose himself. Alyru desperately wanted to ask him what was the matter, but held his tounge. Richard seemed to sense it and shook his head.

"Don't wanna... no..." He sniffed. 'Doesn't matter."

Alyru sensed what Richard was saying. "If it upsets you this much, it does matter." He stated. Richard immediately shot him a glare. It melted quickly into a distraught look.

"It's in the past. Theres nothing I can do about it." He wheezed, looking like he'd cry again. Alyru shook his head.

"That's not how you should look at things that happened to you." He started. Richard turned away.

"You wouldn't understand!" He snapped.

Alyru remained silent, feeling something shift in him.

"What exactly would I not understand, Richard?" He asked, trying not to sound icy at being snapped at. This was a sore spot, and if he was to help, he had to be gentle but firm. That was something Richard would understand. The human hesitated.

"Losing someone you love." Richard spat, then immediately turned to Alyru, eyes wide and hand on his mouth. He seemed to realize what he'd just said.

It was almost impossible for Alyru not to lash out. He rarely lost his cool. But that... that hit hard. He was certain his face had changed, because Richard backed up a bit.

"Oh, I- I didn't mean that, Al. Not like that. I'm sorry-" He backpedaled, shaking his head.

Alyru couldn't help it. "Oh, no, you're right. How could I _ever_ imagine what it's like to lose _anything_? Family? Home? Life? Yeah, that's rich. How could I of all people have _any_ idea what that's like?" He spat the last part coldly. He regretted being harsh, but it _hurt_, dang it. Richard winced and stared at the floor.

"Sorry, Alyru." Richard whispered. Alyru knew he was sincere, because he called him by his whole name. No nicknames. His whole, full, not human name. He softened, relaxing, and took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Richard, I want to help. I suffered alone for 30 years. Wouldn't reccomend. Talk about it. It'll help. I won't say anything if you want. Just, let it out dude, please." He pleaded. "I can tell you're hurting. I know."

Richard stared into nothing for a long time, shaking and looking kind of small. He shrunk into himself and took a shuddering breath.

"My sister died when I was 10." He whispered. Alyru felt it. He'd opened up, and the pain in those words were as powerful as an overworked dam bursting. He shifted and sat next to the human.

Keep going, he willed Richard. You've been holding onto it for a long time.

"We'd been walking home from the ice cream shop. It was a nice summer evening. As we crossed a street, some guy who wasn't paying attention hit her with his truck." Richard jerked, a reaction to remembering this event. Alyru noted his heart beating faster.

"She was on the ground, bleeding. The guy sped off as soon as he realized. I was too scared and just stood there, scared. Like a stupid baby." He spat. "By the time I got the courage to go to her, she was gone." He was clearly crying again, his voice shaking. "She was gone. And I'd done nothing. Dad acted like I'd failed her. Like he would have rathered I be hit. He didn't say it. But I was sure he was thinking it. Nothing was ever the same after she died."

Alyru had to do something to help. He generated a soft glow and just sat right next to the distraught human. It would calm him.

"It wasn't your fault, Richard." He whispered.

"Yes it was." Richard whimpered, miserable. "If I'd been less of a useless coward, I could have helped. I could have done something. I did nothing. Carly is gone because I'm Useless and can't do anything. And I haven't changed, Al. I'm still the same lump. I don't have a job, I mooch off of Frank because I blew all my acting money, I contribute nothing to this house. And you all still put up with me."

Alyru was startled by this. He'd thought Richard was unaware all this time that he didn't really do anything, that he barely did anything. Turns out he was very aware. Richard wasn't done.

"That's why I want a core. To prove I can do something good. Maybe if I can take care of one, and be responsible and... maybe I can change. Maybe it'll force me to change. Either get better or die. Cuz I've tried, and... well I don't know anymore. Maybe it won't help. Maybe I'm just useless. Maybe I should leave."

There was a long silence. Alyru thought deeply. It was similar to Ayatos.

_He can't do it, his biology is off. Itll be weak. It's for the best._

_I'm not gonna be able to do it, brother. I want one, but... I want to prove to everyone and myself I'm not useless. _

_I'll believe in you._

"I'll believe in you." Alyru stated.

Richard stiffened and looked Alyru in the eyes, confused and tense. "What?"

"You heard me. I'll believe in you. I think you can do it. You may think you're no one, but I dont. When Ayatos was unconscious, you stayed with him. You have a gentle, kind soul in you, and you so rarely let it show. I want you to be you, and I genuinely think you can do it. Give me until a week after my cycle, and I'll give you one. I'll give you a core. You do know all the basics now, and the risk. If you're serious, then let's do it."

Richard was flat out flabbergasted. Alyru chuckled at his surprise. The human then nodded.

"Yes. I'm... I'm serious."

"Okay then. Give me a while. You're gonna get a core, Richard."


	17. Day 15: Scars

Richard was nervous. Well, actually, he was way more than nervous. Terrified.

Sure, he'd studied. He'd listened to everything Alyru had told him, and had weighed the decision. He knew the risk, and had decided to go through with it. He'd said as much during the incident in the living room.

Alyru had told him to wait a little while. Richard hadn't understood in the slightest. Why? He didn't understand this part. He watched as over the next few days after his cycle, Alyru just kind of sat around the house, slept in, and snacked.

It was... weird. He didnt even go for a walk.

This was also thus far a secret between him, Alyru, and Ayatos. No one else knew. No one else would know until he told them.

It was about four days after Alyru's cycle. It was also the middle of the night. Richard heard a soft knock on his door and sat up. He hadn't been sleeping much anyway.

Nerves. Richard slid out of bed and opened the bedroom door to see Alyru there. Surprising.

"Hey Al, wh-" Alyru put a finger to his mouth and silenced Richard. He waved for him to follow. "Not mysterious at all, Al," He whispered. "You're not going all super mystery on me, are you?" Alyru led him silently to the living room, and then sat down on the floor and gestured for Richard to do the same.

The human sat down, and Alyru lit up a small battery powered light set up on the floor so they could see without waking anyone. Alyru took a deep breath.

"I'm ready if you are, Rich."

"For..."

"Core." Alyru stated. "I've stored enough energy, and I can do it now."

"Wait, how exactly do you do that?" Richard asked, confused.

"Let me worry about it." Alyru stated, pulling out a small dagger he owned. It glinted in the light.

"What are you going to do with that?" Richard pointed at it nervously, getting more unsure by the second. He was having second thoughts for the millionth time. Alyru patted Richard's hand with his own in a comforting manner.

"It's okay. I know what I'm doing. Sort of." He winked and then seemed to brace himself, taking a deep breath and relaxing.

Richard on the other hand was freaking out a little. No, no, he could do this. ...Sort of!?

Alyru lit up like a Christmas tree. Richard was startled back slightly as the alien worked his magic, glowing. He did this for a little while, then cupped his hands together and hummed softly. Richard watched as all the light began to zip down his arms and into his hands, forming an even brighter light. Then Alyru stopped glowing and sighed quietly.

"There. I... I did it." He sounded tired. He laughed a little. "I did it." He opened his hands and both of them peered into his open palms to see what was there.

It was a small white orb just a bit bigger around than most marbles, maybe a centimeter and a half diameter. It was clear for the most part, but with a glowing white centre. It was pulsing just slightly with life. Richard shuddered slightly.

It was alive, and it would depend on him. It was tiny. He reached out only to pause.

Alyru held it up a little more. "Go ahead. You only get one chance to touch and look at it. I remember looking at mine and holding it." Richard very hesitantly grabbed it from Alyru. It was light, warm and hard enough that he couldn't squish it accidentally. And it was vibrating just slightly. He couldn't help but grin.

"Wow. You... you made this. Does this mean your core is a... a mom?" He asked. Alyru shrugged.

"This is just how cores duplicate." He mumbled. "Shall we do the next part?"

Richard froze. He hadn't even thought until now how to get it inside him. "Do I eat it?" He asked, hoping the dagger wasn't part of this.

Alyru shook his head. "No. We need to be direct." He picked up the dagger. "Take off your pajama shirt, kay?"

Richard stiffened and began to panic. "You're not going to stab me, are you? I don't think I like this part." He backed up slightly, still holding the tiny core.

Alyru sighed and set the dagger down again. He pulled off his own shirt and pointed to his chest. Just below where his heart would be, directly over his core, was a small inch long scar. "Gotta get it in safe somehow. Dont worry, it'll be okay. Doesn't take long and isnt very painful." He smiled encouragingly. "You can handle it."

Richard took a deep breath and handed Alyru the little orb, and took off his shirt. He should have known this would be a part of it. Alyru nodded and started the process. He took the dagger and waited until Richard was ready, then sliced a tiny hole in just the right spot, under his heart.

Then he slipped the tiny core inside and quickly sealed the wound. Richard shuddered slightly and put a hand over the spot.

"There you go. You did it." Alyru stated. "Not so bad, right?"

Richard chuckled. "How on earth did the first Alarians figure out how to do this, and then actually do it? They must have been considered nuts." He mumbled.

Alyru shrugged in response, grabbing his shirt. "Makes sense to me. No one ever recorded it, so we dont actually know what happened. Lots of theories though. Your guess is as good as mine. All of us have the same scar."

"That's pretty cool." The human remarked. "...Now what?"

"Now we wait until it starts growing."

"Right. Yeah. Thanks Alyru." Richard smiled, putting on his shirt. No turning back now. He was doing this. "Hey... uh..."

"Yeah?" Alyru responded. "What is it, Rich?"

"Did you mean what you said the other night? That I'm a... kind gentle soul? You didnt mean that, did you?"

Alyru raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I didnt mean it? I've seen you be kind, I've seen you be gentle and I've seen you let your pain show. Your tough act doesn't fool everyone. I've put on similar acts myself. I know you, buddy." He smiled sadly.

Richard wrung his hands, feeling a little small. "I'm sorry for... you know, a lot of things. I just... didnt want anyone to see that weak useless side of me and... I thought I could just be... fake strong. Didn't think anyone would notice."

Alyru sighed. "Frank worries about you all the time, Rich. He's always trying to help you. He's talked to me about this before and, he really wants to help and is upset that you push everyone away and stay in your own bubble. You gotta open up a little more."

The human was quiet, staring down at his hands. "You're right, I-" He began shaking.

Alyru scooted forward and hugged him. "S'okay, bud. Here to help."

Richard hugged back. "Thanks."


	18. Day 16: Pinned down

Richard blinked slowly, waking up. It was a chilly early fall morning outside, and he was curled up under the covers. His brain felt like mush, and he was tired.

It had been a week since he had gotten his core, and nothing had happened yet. Absolutely nothing. It remained dormant and silent, unmoving. Which seemed to worry Alyru. Apparently it was a bad sign, and the core might die.

It needed to root, whatever that meant. The alien had described it like a seed taking root in the ground. Pretty literal, as apparently a baby core was called a seed. And the first thing they were supposed to do was called rooting.

Very literal.

Richard moaned sleepily and tried to sit up, only for his vision to black out and dizziness to overcome him. The room spun around him and he fell back onto the bed. He felt like he had a fever and he was very dizzy and tired.

"Man... what?" He mumbled, trying again slowly to get up. "Don't... feel so good." Was he dying? Was the core dying? Was he just getting a cold? After a few unsuccessful attempts to get up, he flopped back down, beginning to feel a throbbing pain in his chest.

"Uh oh." He mumbled. He couldn't get out of bed, and he was feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Not a good situation. He had no idea how long he just stayed there as the throbbing seemed to spread. He had no idea when there was a knock on his bedroom door, but as soon as he heard it he realized he could get help.

"Come in!" He wheezed as loud as he could. A moment later he looked up to see Frank above him, eyebrows furrowed with worry.

"Are you okay, Rich? Its almost three and you haven't gotten up for even a snack." He was clearly concerned. Richard bit his lip. How would he ask for help without tipping Frank off about the specifics?

"Don't feel great. Can you... ask Alyru to take a look? Maybe he can get an idea what's going on." He smiled weakly, trying not to give anything away. Frank nodded.

"Sure. I'll let him know." Frank turned and left. Richard just stayed as still as he could, dizzy, warm, in pain, and very disoriented. He wasn't sure when Alyru got there, but he felt a gentle hand on his chest a moment later. He turned, blinking and surprised. Sure enough, the alien was there, kneeling beside the bed with a very worried look on his face.

"Hey, Al, what's up? Just... not feeling so good. Maybe you can give me a hand, huh?" He mumbled. Alyru stiffened suddenly and looked frightened. Richard didn't like that. It scared him. "Don't do that, don't freak me out Al..."

Alyru took a deep breath. "Your seed is finally rooting, at least. It's doing it pretty well, although... it's not the healthiest..." Richard suddenly felt a sharp, sudden pain in his back. The discomfort was suddenly everywhere, and then it started to ebb at last. He was still basically pinned by the pain, but it was suddenly much more bearable. He could feel a soft throbbing through his arms and legs and he now knew exactly what was causing it.

The core was moving and growing.

"Ah, that must have been it connecting to your spine." Alyru stated. "Seems to be doing better. That's a bit more healthy. Alright, good." He murmured, gently massaging Richard's chest to help him feel better. The human was comforted by it too much to think it awkward.

"Thanks, Al." He murmured.

"Better late than never," the Alarian stated. "It's going a little fast, and seems to be kind of erratic, but it's doing better now. I think you'll be okay. Which is a relief. You should continue to rest. You'll need it."

"Agreed. Dont think I can get up anyway." Richard wheezed and started drifting off to sleep again.

"I'll keep an eye on you. Don't worry." Alyru told him, gently patting his arm. "I won't let anything bad happen if I have a say in it."

As Richard drifted off, he completely missed the exchange between Alyru and Frank, who had been watching from the doorway, concerned for his friend and then surprised when he had caught what Alyru had said.

"What's going on? What do you mean, seed? What's happening to him and what did I miss?" He spluttered, flabbergasted. Alyru turned, surprised. He hadn't noticed Frank had returned to check on Richard.

"Frank? Oh, don't worry, he's fine, he just needs to rest." He told the human. Frank didn't seem satisfied.

"Okay, but what's the matter with him? Why is he in pain? Are you guys hiding something?" He asked, becoming more worried by the second. Alyru sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair.

"He has a core now. He's just going through the natural growing process at the moment. He's going to be fine." As he spoke, Frank began to look more and more stressed.

"You gave him one of those things? Why? He could really hurt himself!" Frank looked about to panic. "This can't be good!"

Alyru gently grabbed Frank's arm and looked him in the eye. "Its okay. I know what I'm doing, and so does he. I've got this. Dont worry. I would not have given him one if I didn't think he could handle it."

Frank just sighed in exasperation. "I really don't think he's responsible enough for this. Is there any way to undo it? I'm just really scared for him. Richard just isn't... well, he can't do this."

Alyru shook his head. "I know Rich just as well as you do. Listen, even if I wanted to, I couldn't remove it now. It's becoming a part of him as we speak. And I'm certain he can do this. He knows basically everything that could happen to him. He understood the risk. I made sure he did. He decided to go through with it, and I'm supporting him. No matter what, I'm going to be here for him." The Alarian gave Frank a serious look. He was very much serious about this, and wanted Richard to do it. For himself.

Alyru wanted him to succeed.

Frank sighed long, exasperated. "If you're sure. I do hope you know what you're doing, I mean I'm not doubting that part, but... are humans even meant to do this? Can you be sure he won't die?"

"There's always a chance for failure, even for us. I knew what I was getting into, as die my brothers, my parents, that one aunt I had, my ancestors. Only ones who didn't know were the first ones, but they found a way to make it. Richard is taking a big step, not just for himself but for his entire species. This is important to him, and to me. He-"

Alyru took a deep breath. "He feels he has to do this. To prove to himself he's not a useless failure and that he can change for the better. I don't think I could have talked him out of it. He's... he needs this. He thinks he truly is nothing, and I'm going to help him prove that wrong." He thought again of Richard's sister, and about the similarities to his brother Ayatos who went through a similar time in his life.

"I want to help." He whispered.

"I just hope you did help." Frank stated, shaky. His face was unreadable. "And that you didn't just give him something that's going to kill him."

"Me too." Alyru whispered, even softer. "Me too."


	19. Day 17: Stay with me (Part 1)

It was simple enough, Richard had needed a walk to clear his head. Right now stress was high in the house, with both Khoti and Taanyth heavily disappointed and irritated at Alyru for doing such a risky and dangerous thing, putting Richard's life in danger, and now there was quite the tension. Frank was worried, and also kind of upset at Alyru.

Toothless didn't seem too fussed, he seemed to agree with Alyru, as did Ayatos.

Ifur, confused and not wanting to be in the conflict at all, opted to stay neutral and out of any discussion.

They could all agree at least, that Richard needed watching over. Ayatos had decided to accompany Richard on his walk. They walked side by side in the afternoon air. Richard was actually feeling quite good, as it was a few days after the whole incident, and he did feel something extra, for sure, but there wasn't any discomfort. He felt okay.

He still had winced when Khoti and Taanyth had found out, however. Khoti, as the most responsible of the group, had made his opinion on the while thing quite clear.

_"Even if he can handle it, you should not have taken the risk. The human's life could be at risk, and-"_

_"He made the choice. I just gave him a hand." Alyru had stated flatly. _

_"It still was an unwise idea on both your parts. You can't have had any idea what would happen!" _

_Alyru had sighed. "Neither had the first Alarians to stick a strange glowing ball inside them."_

_Khoti had given him a disapproving glare. _

Things were still tense between the brothers. Even now that he seemed to be handling his new core well. It was a mess. He felt a little guilty for putting everyone through this, and was again rethinking his whole life. Had he made yet another stupid mistake, not only one that could have killed him, but one that could tear such a tight family apart?

He felt nauseous that he may have just been useless again. That once again he was proving to the world that he was an idiot. He glanced down at Ayatos, who was walking along, deep in his own thoughts. Richard smiled slightly, happy that Ayatos seemed to trust him quite a bit. He remembered the whole incident with his ankle and the little alien being unconscious. It had terrified him.

They came to the edge of the park and were about to cross the big street through town. They were probably going to head back soon. He walked across with Ayatos, staying close to the little guy. He still felt responsible for the small boy, and especially around cars. He couldn't help it. He saw a lot of Carly in the alien. A small innocent and kind person who wanted to help.

At least it was a nice day.

They strolled down the street and began to loop back around to where they started, to head home. A comfortable silence stayed the only thing between then, as neither really felt like talking. Until... he couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey, uh..." Richard mumbled. "I wanted to apologize."

"For what?" Ayatos asked.

"For kind of driving a wedge between your brothers. I didnt mean to be such a big problem. I feel terrible about it."

Ayatos grabbed his hand and squeezed gently without looking up. "You're not a problem. We all care about you. And we all want to help you in different ways. I think you'll be fine."

Richard squeezed back, thankful.

The two moved to cross another street, stepping along together. Richard took a nice deep breath. He felt alive.

* * *

Screech! Slam!

Carly!

Wait...

Ayatos!

Richard got to his feet as fast as he could to see a white SUV stopped in the street, an older woman getting out. He followed the car down to the ground and saw Ayatos on the ground, bleeding and crumpled.

He froze.

It had all happened so fast, so, so fast. He ran to Ayatos and was next to him in seconds, panicking. The woman had her phone and was calling what he could only assume was an ambulance. Richard felt the past creeping back again.

Carly, his little sister, lying half dead, quickly dying in the street while he stood panicked on the end of the crosswalk.

Ayatos, now, lying very injured in the street. Richard had no clue what to do.

"I'm still useless!" Richard yelled, cursing. "Why? Come on, think!"

The woman was asking him something, but he ignored her. He had to focus this time. He couldn't mess up this time. The brothers would never forgive him. He'd never forgive himself. He gently picked up Ayatos, moving the boy off the road. He gently set him in the grass, still shaking.

How had Alyru healed him?

He had no idea how to do it, but what else could he do? He put a hand on Ayatos' chest, feeling for his heart. He felt something, a beat. It was weak.

He cursed. "No! No come on, Ayatos! Stay with me, you lovable little marshmallow!" Cursing in a mantra, he began to panic completely. This was so bad. "No, no... why..."

Richard took a deep breath.

What was it Alyru said about how cores worked? He'd payed attention.

_"I know it seems ridiculous, but you have to listen to the core. Sometimes it knows more than you do. They're not just organs, either. There's more to them than any of us have understood or can ever understand."_

_Listen._

Listen.

Richard closed his eyes, took another deep breath, and listened.

All he heard was outside noises. The woman yelling, panicked. Distant sirens.

He didnt give up. One hand on his heart, he just focused.

As if it sensed exactly what he wanted to do so badly, it leapt to life in his chest. It felt crazy weird, and wild. New. His heart beat faster, and there was a strange fiery sensation in his chest.

Heal him.

It did it. He wasn't sure how he did it, why it happened so easily. Energy zipped down his arm, wild and untamed. It crackled through him fiercely, making his arm tingle and burn. It made him excited, and dizzy.

He knew this wasn't perfect, far from it. He had a long, long way to go.

But maybe it could be enough.

As soon as it hit Ayatos' body, information hit his mind. Somehow.

_"The energy isnt just... for doing things. It's also an extension of us. You can feel through it. Experience through it." _

Ayaots had several broken ribs, his spine was bruised, his legs broken in several places. He was bleeding, in and out.

He was dying fast.

How fast had this idiot woman been going? He seethed slightly with the thought.

No, focus.

He started on the ribs, and they snapped back into place and mended at his will. It was exhilarating. Next, the bleeding parts. He sealed every opening that needed sealing, making Ayatos' body heal itself faster. He turned to the legs last, putting them back together.

He'd done it, miraculously enough. He stopped, laughing a little with relief. He'd done it! He was amazing! His core was amazing! He'd been right!

Ayatos' heart stopped.


	20. Day 17: Stay with me (Part 2)

No. No. No. This couldn't be happening. He was being given a ride to the hospital, riding along behind the ambulance in a police car.

Had he killed Ayatos? This was so utterly terrifying, so awful. He felt sick. Minutes later he was in the waiting room, trying not to throw up or scream. Ayatos was in a hospital.

He was an alien they didn't understand, and he was dying.

Richard folded in on himself, sobbing. He was so, so sorry.

"Sir?" A female voice reached him, and a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at the woman, trying desperately to calm down. "Sir, you came in with the small boy that was hit by a car, right? We need some information."

* * *

"What happened?" Khoti asked, sounding on the verge of hysteria, but somehow managing to be calm. He stared down at Richard, his eyes wide. Khoti, Alyru, and Frank had come as soon as they'd gotten the phone call from the hospital.

Richard explained as best he could, and Khoti seemed to be okay.

Until he mentioned he'd tried to heal Ayatos.

"You _what_?" He nearly yelled. "Do you have any idea how stupid that is? You have no idea what you're doing! You... you...!" He switched to rambling in his other language, while Alyru attempted to educate the people running the hospital on how to treat the little alien. Very confused, they nodded and went off to help the boy. Alyru joined Khoti and patted his shoulder, trying to calm him.

Richard shrunk into his chair, feeling smaller than he ever had in his whole life.

"They got his heart started, but he's apparently not doing well." Alyru told Khoti softly. The two brothers and Frank sat down with Richard.

Alyru stared straight ahead, looking terrified and tense. Richard eventually got up the courage to talk to him. He nudged Alyru gently.

"I'm so sorry." He told his friend.

Alyru didnt respond. He did put his hand on Richard's hand. He was shaking. The four of them sat in silence.

* * *

"Are you all the family of... uh... Ayatos?" A nurse asked, standing in front of them. There were nods. It had been a few hours since the panic. "He's starting to do better. Doc's pretty sure he's well enough you can visit him. Although it's a little weird he's not human." She laughed nervously. "We managed. Follow me."

* * *

Richard stood next to Frank as Alyru and Khoti talked with the tired but awake Ayatos. The two brothers looked him over and Khoti's eyes widened.

"Apparently you didn't do a bad job, Richard." He told the human. "You just exhausted him to a level where he nearly died, but... the healing itself worked pretty well."

Richard took a little encouragement in that. He then remembered the tree incident, and shrunk.

He should have known. He felt stupid. "Sorry. I'm so sorry." He whimpered. "I panicked, I just wanted to help, I-" He stopped, unable to say anything more. He'd never forgive himself for nearly killing Ayatos.

There was a beat of silence, where Ayatos said something softly to Khoti. The older brother looked over at Richard. "He wants you over here." Richard shrunk, guilty, and shuffled over. He didnt think he could look Ayatos in the eyes. Khoti moved back and Richard took his place. He glanced at Alyru across from him, but the Alarian had his eyes closed, silent.

Then he looked down at Ayatos. The boy was looking up at him with a little smile. He whispered something Richard didn't hear. The human bent down closer and listened. Ayatos was continuing to whisper, over and over.

"Thank you. Thank you."

Richard was startled, backing up. "I didn't really help." He told Ayatos. "You nearly died. I did more harm than good. I'm so sorry. I dont know why I thought I could do this, I put you at risk, I've... I've just been stupid all over again." He gently picked up Ayatos' small hand. "I'm-"

"Thank you, Richard, thank you..." Ayatos wheezed again, starting to fall asleep again. "You're gonna be great... don't give up..." He went quiet, falling asleep from the sheer exhaustion. The raw, untamed energy of Richard's determined and panicked heal would take him a while to recover from.

But he'd be okay.

* * *

Alyru had been quiet for days. He hadn't even spoken, nor looked anything but unreadable. Richard had no clue what the Alarian thought of him. He was sure Alyru was disappointed and angry. He'd never live this down. This would never be forgotten. It took the human days to even gather courage to approach the alien. As he did, slowly, approach Alyru, who was sitting in the forest, he thought again of Ayatos.

Ayatos was resting at home now. He'd only stayed in the hospital overnight once before his brothers convinced the hospital he was safer in their hands. They knew how to help him. So he was released. Frank paid the hospital bill. He told them it was no trouble.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when Alyru turned to look at him. The alien had probably known he was there for a while. Richard took a deep breath and walked slowly forward, and then sat down next to Alyru. The alien didn't react at all.

"Alyru?" He asked. "I... you're mad at me, aren't you. You're disappointed, and upset, and... I'm... I..." He curled in on himself, starting to cry. "I'm... please, I... please forgive me. Please. I know I didn't think properly. I put him in danger, and I shouldn't have done what I did. Khoti's yelled at me already. Taanyth has given me a disapproving look already. Multiple, actually. But... you haven't said anything. You... do you hate me now?" He turned to Alyru, who hadn't even attempted to stop his rambling. The alien was so spookily quiet.

Richard could feel the silence. Alyru said nothing, nothing. Silent. He stared out into the trees. Richard couldn't have had less of an idea what was running through his mind. The silence didn't feel angry, or cold, just... silent. "Please at least tell me you hate me." Richard mumbled. "I hate the silence. Just tell me there's no way we can ever be friends again and get it over with. I nearly killed your little brother. So please, just... just be mad!"

Alyru didnt even react. "I can't even get that?" Richard got up again and stood across from him, staring at the alien's face. It was stony still. The human backed away a little and flopped down on his knees again. He couldn't even cry. He felt horrible.

Alyru would never talk to him ag- "Please, stop." Alyru stated softly. "I haven't said I'm mad."

"You haven't said anything! I assumed- I..." Richard was so confused. "So you're not... not mad?"

Alyru sighed and then started laughing. Richard was so startled he just stared. "You were so sure I'd hate you? What do all those years mean, Richard?" He rubbed at his face, tired. "That couldn't be further from the truth. I know I've been quiet, but I was overwhelmed. I'm actually pretty proud of you. Yes, it's true that Ayatos nearly died, and that terrified me. But you stepped in and tried." He smiled and placed a hand firmly on Richard's shoulder.

"Your core is only at most a week old, you've had no time to learn any technique, or anything. And you got it to activate. And you did exactly what you were trying to do. You remembered at least some of what I've taught you. Enough to save him. Richard, you saved him." Alyru had started to cry. "Your healing was so intense and loving, you hurt him, but he would have died right there if you'd done nothing. You're going to be great, Rich."

Richard had no words. He just stared in disbelief. Alyru's hand gently moved down to pat just over his new core. He felt it move slightly under the touch. Surreal.

"You and this little guy are gonna get along great. With practice, you'll be strong as me in no time. You have the will." Alyru encouraged. "I knew you'd be amazing."

"Th- thanks." Richard whispered, grabbing Alyru and hugging him tight. The alien chuckled and went quiet. They stayed like that for a while until Richard realized Alyru had actually fallen asleep. Guess he'd been exhausted. Richard gently scooped him up and carried the surprisingly light Alarian home.

Alyru was proud of him.


	21. Day 18: Muffled scream

The pillow hit the wall with such a satisfying thump. But it wasn't enough to alleviate the anger and frustration he was feeling. Khoti grabbed it again and threw it back at his bunk on the upper part of the bed he shared with Taanyth. It was all he could do not to scream.

Ayatos had long healed from his near-death experience, and Richard was learning how to use his core pretty well. He had to admit Alyru was a pretty good teacher, when he was thinking straight.

But this was all wrong.

Alyru had given a human a core, without even telling him. He'd snuck around behind Khoti's back! As the most responsible member of the family, he should have at least been asked first. It had been a stupid, rash, sudden decision, that should have taken a few years to be decided.

Alyru had been so... so...

Why was he like this?

Khoti paced around, trying to cool his temper. This was so confusing and galling.

Ayatos had even been in on it! The three of them had deliberately kept him in the dark, because he would have said no. With reason! It was reckless to just hand out such an important and possibly dangerous thing to a human who barely got out of bed in the morning, and was definitely not a responsible person.

He couldn't understand. Taanyth at least understood where Khoti was coming from. He also got why this had been a bad idea. But he was more hurt that Ayatos and Alyru hadn't trusted him. They were a family, and a team! The two eldest brothers had talked about this and agreed it could have been handled much better.

He couldn't take it anymore. He pulled up the thickest shield bubble he could to muffle the sound, and screamed. He yelled for a solid minute before letting the shield drop and sitting down on the floor. He felt better.

* * *

Alyru sighed upon hearing the muffled noises of his angry older brother inside their room. He didnt want to do this, but they had to talk more eventually. He would wait until Khoti want quiet, where his brother would be more level headed. Khoti rarely lost his temper like this. He'd been keeping most of it in for the past weeks, but apparently he'd needed to let it out.

Alyru took a deep breath.

Khoti had been quiet for several minutes now. He knocked softly on the door. There was silence, hen a soft forced voice. "Who is it?"

"Uh, it's me." Alyru answered. "I wanted to talk, but if you're not in the mood..."

He didn't hear an answer from Khoti and decided perhaps his brother didn't want to talk. He was about to turn and leave when he heard a soft noise.

"Fine, come in."

Alyru opened the door a crack. "Promise you won't throw me through a wall?" He inquired. Khoti just grunted in reply, only slightly amused.

"No promises."

The younger walked in and sat down across from Khoti, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. There was a moment of silence, until Alyru spoke.

"I want to apologize." He told his brother. "I did act rather rashly, and I understand that." He paused, waiting for Khoti's reaction. Khoti scoffed and looked him in the eyes.

"And?" He prompted.

"And what?" Alyru asked. "It's turning out okay. Richard is improving and learning fast. He's tough and actually easy to teach. He's super serious about this."

Khoti growled softly. "You still don't get it!" He snapped. "That's not the point! Yo-"

"Isn't it?" Alyru asked flatly. "The point of this _was_ to improve Richard. That's why he wanted it in the first place."

Khoti looked startled. "You gave it to him just because he wanted to have powers? Are you kidding me?" He yelled.

"No, he wanted to improve as a person. He had convinced himself that he'd never improve, never change for the better. He felt guilty because he'd never done anything valuable in his life, according to him."

"He hasn't." Khoti mumbled.

"That isn't true." Alyru stated. "He's saved me, and he's saved Ayatos twice now. He's a lot kinder than he gives himself credit for. He's also actually a really supportive friend. He's not perfect, but he's better than he says he is."

"So why give him a core?" Khoti asked, still confused. "Just tell him that! He doesn't need a core to be better!"

"Because it's just like Ayatos." Alyru sighed, folding his hands together. "Our littlest brother was convinced he'd never amount to anything, and couldn't do anything. I supported him through that. I believed in him, and look at him now. He's holding shields, he's successfully done telekinesis. He never would have made it without some help."

Khoti just blinked.

"Richard is the same. He needs someone to believe in him. This isn't just about the core. I was pretty sure he could do that. It's more me telling him... I'm here for you. I'll help you get where you want to be. I'm gonna help him see what he can do, who he is. I'm gonna help him be happy with who he is." Alyru stated. "I just wanted to help him."

Khoti sighed. "You're a sentimental idiot, Alyru. All love, no brains."

"Hey!" Alyru sniffed, crossing his arms. "I'm plenty smart!"

The older brother chuckled softly and rubbed a hand on his forehead, exhausted. "True. Alright."

"Truce?" Alyru asked, holding out a hand, fingers spread. Khoti took a deep breath and nodded, putting his own hand on his brother's on almost a high five way.

"Truce. I apologize for losing my temper on you. And someone's gotta keep that silly human from killing himself." He stood, and Alyru did as well. They hugged, frustration left behind.

They walked out together.


	22. Day 19: Asphyxiation

_-15 Years before reaching Earth-_

The asteroid had hit the ship hard. The back area had taken the harder hit. Taanyth stiffened with horror when he saw the alert on the dashboard. That couldn't be good.

Door open. The back door had opened.

He scrambled to try to get the back door closed, but the controls weren't responding. Heart pounding, he turned on the emergency shield that would keep air inside the cockpit and flung open the metal door that separated it from the back area.

He stared in horror, beginning to panic. There was no air pressure inside the back. Anything that wasnt part of the ship had been blown out. A few supplies, all the air, and... well...

His brother.

* * *

Ayatos had been hunkered down, waiting for his brother to get around the asteroids, when the ship had jerked suddenly. He squeaked in alarm and was about to go ask Taanyth what was wrong when the door to space opened.

The ship had almost immediately seemed to disappear and his wail of fright was cut short as the air threw him into space. He was immediately frigid cold, and he couldn't breathe. It was terrifying, and he could feel his body already reacting to the lack of air. He was shaking. He had to get to safety. Air. He needed air.

Ayatos flailed his limbs and tried to get back to the ship, unable to call for help and quickly losing air, and with it the ability to think, to live. To stay awake. He caught a glimpse of the ship, and asteroids all around him. He narrowly missed one, and he could feel himself starting to get dizzy. He was losing time fast.

Focus. He needed to focus with what he still had.

It had only been a while since he started to get better at his shield, but that wouldn't help him. There had to be a way...

If he could propel himself somehow, maybe? He reached for his core, desperate, starting to black out. He pushed as hard as he could, and energy started to flicker in his core, and struggled down his arms. Ayatos put as much as he could, starting to feel pain because he was hurting his conduits, but he had no choice. He had to live. What little energy he'd managed to get pushed through him into the vacuum around him, causing him to slow his spinning. Ayatos looked around for the ship.

He had to find it quickly. Very quickly. His vision was blacking out. Fast.

Rock, rock, big rock, another rock... ship!

With the last bit of concentration Ayatos could muster, he pushed himself toward the ship, hoping as his vision went completely out, and he began to lose feeling.

* * *

Taanyth was straight in the middle of panicking. He put up a small shield capable of holding air around his body and moved to the back area of the ship, and peeked out the door into space. No sign of his brother. He looked around, and just saw asteroids. There was another asteroid drifting in the ship's direction.

"Okay, keep a clear head, Taanyth. It'll be fine." He murmured, and went back to the cockpit and turned the ship, while scanning for any life.

A single weak life sign popped up on the screen, outside the ship, turning... changing direction. It was heading for him. Ayatos had managed to turn himself around.

"Good boy." He turned the ship so that Ayatos would float close, then left back to the door. He looked out into space and saw Ayatos, floating quietly in his direction. He pushed energy into his arms and out, and through telekinesis managed to grab Ayatos. His brother was completely unconcious, and more worryingly, not breathing. Once inside, he closed the door manually and latched it. It would need repairing.

He hurried Ayatos into the cockpit, lay him gently on the chair, and had to steer the ship while trying to get his brother breathing again.

* * *

He wasn't sure how long he'd been out, but he felt sweet, warm air enter his lungs. He was surrounded in a familiar cozy warmth.

"That's it, breathe easy." Taanyth's voice was muffled, but warm and inviting all the same.

He opened his eyes slowly, and his brother's face swam into place above him, his vision wobbly and dizzy. He had to shut his eyes again.

"Dizzy..." Ayatos muttered.

Taanyth just gently patted his head, and he realized he was in a cozy hug. The ship was quiet, and there wasn't the usual noise. They must have landed somewhere for repairs.

"You had me worried there, little brother." Taanyth murmured. "I thought perhaps I'd lost you at last. I'm so glad you're safe."

Ayatos smiled up at Taanyth, feeling a little better. "Space is cold..." Ayatos told his brother. "I don't like it very much."

Taanyth just snorted in amusement and smiled. "That's okay. Not many things can survive out there, very understandable."

Ayatos could hear the relief in his brother's voice, and he could sense the fear Taanyth was trying not to show. It had been close, way too close. "Are we ever going to... be safe?" Ayatos asked.

Taanyth shook his head and ran a hand through his wild hair. "There's no such thing as being perfectly safe... but if our brothers are alive we shall find them. And together we will be safer and at the very least a group again."

Ayatos soon began to doze off slightly, and the pair slept together, alone in the vast darkness, still holding out hope.


	23. Day 20: Trembling

Another nightmare. He got them often. Richard had woken from one with a start, tangled in the blankets and shaking. He was trembling like a kid scared of a monster under the bed, and harsh, sudden, vivid memories were again bombarding his mind.

"Ugh, not again." He whispered to himself. "Stupid, stupid..." He stared down at his hands, feeling alone and afraid. He needed a hug, a walk... a cup of tea... something. But no one would be awake in the middle of the night. Then again, Alyru would sometimes be wandering in the house at midnight or later because he couldn't sleep.

Richard didn't really feel like talking to anyone, though. He wanted comfort, but... he hesitated to even ask for any help. He hated feeling like the burden on people he was. He curled up slightly, giving himself a hug and closing his eyes, trying not to think about the memories that never went away.

Then he felt a soft warmth in his chest, accompanied by the soft hum of a core. His core. It curiously seemed to be doing this on its own, and despite the warm and comforting feeling it gave him, he started to panic a little. Was it needing something?

There was no way he'd go to the room the four brothers shared and risk waking all them... but he needed some assurance. He had not much choice. Taking his blanket and wrapping it around himself, he left his room and walked down the hall to the room in question, still confused and a little scared about the small object humming away inside him.

He knocked slowly and softly, hoping to only wake whomever was the most awake already. Hopefully it wouldn't be Khoti.

Nothing happened for a minute, then the door opened slowly, revealing a grumpy looking alien. He wasn't wearing his usual regal outfit, but the grumpy stare was the same. Khoti. And he didn't seem pleased to be woken up.

"What do you want, it's stupid late right now." He grumbled quietly, annoyed.

Richard took a slow breath and pointed at the soft glow from his chest. "Sorry to bother you so late. It's doing this on its own and I'm just a little nervous."

Khoti rolled his eyes a little and sighed. "Stay there." He mumbled grumpily and walked back into the room. There was some annoyed muffled noises inside and then Alyru appeared, his hair a wild bedhead.

"Hey Rich. What's the problem?" He asked.

"My core went off on its own. I don't know what's going on." Richard said, shaking a little. "It's not bad, is it?"

Alyru yawned and rubbed a hand over his face, left the doorway, and motioned for Rich to follow him down the hall. "Don't wanna wake Khoti up any more than he is. We'll do this in the living room."

Once they'd settled on the couch, Alyru gently placed a hand on Richard's chest with a stifled yawn. "Hmm." He seemed to think to himself. "Yeah, they do this. Cores are sensitive to emotions, remember? If you're feeling super happy or sad or angry or scared they tend to glow like this."

Richard nodded, he was still shaking from his nightmare, but he didn't know if Alyru had noticed. "Ah right. Why do they do that?"

"Defense mechanism." Alyru slurred a little. "It's protecting you."

"What about when I'm happy?"

Alyru yawned and shrugged. "All it feels is your adrenaline and heart. For all it knows you're in danger. It's like an adrenaline rush for a core, it's more ready to defend you if you need it. You good now? It's still glowing."

"...Yeah. Just a nightmare." Richard mumbled.

Alyru didn't press him, and began to droop. "Alright. If you're good I'm going back to bed." He got off the couch and walked back down the hall, yawning again.

Richard made his way back to his room, ready to try sleeping some more.

* * *

He hadn't slept at all much through the night, and woke up still stressed and very tired. His core kept him awake, glowing quietly inside him all night, awakened by his anxiety and nightmares, his fears. He began to doubt again if he could really do this. He'd surely exhausted both himself and it, and they would both be tired all day. He gently patted a hand over the spot and sighed.

"Sorry little buddy. Guess I'm really bad at taking care of you." Tears sprung up unexpectedly, and he found himself shaking again, his hand still on the spot. "I'm sorry, I thought I could do this, I asked for this. I asked Al for this, and now you're depending on me. And yet you're protecting me and doing me more favors than I've ever done for you. I'm always... so messed up. And I dragged you into that. You didn't deserve this."

He thought back to when he'd held the small baby core in his hands, a tiny little white marble, alive and ready to grow. A strange little alien ball thing that he'd take care of. "You deserve someone better than me. Y'know, like at least the species you're supposed to be with. The symbiotic something or other thing you have with them. I'm... not. Khoti was... he was right." Richard wiped at the tears, still shaking. "This is just another mistake. And I can't can't undo it. You're stuck with me."

He heard a knock on his door and immediately began wiping as many tears away as he could, trying to look casual. "Come in!" He called quietly. He watched as the door opened, and to his surprise, Khoti came in. He had the same tall and proud posture as usual, wearing that usual weird garb he always did, and gave Richard a polite wave.

"Good morning." He stated swiftly.

"Hey." Richard replied, trying desperately to act natural, despite his disheveled state. "Sorry for waking you last night."

"It was understandable, you need help to learn how your core works, and new as you are you had no way of knowing what it was doing. That's fine. I just wanted to... talk, if you feel up to that."

Richard, having no clue exactly how to react, just nodded. "S-sure."

Khoti took a deep breath, seeming to ready himself, and began speaking. "I know we haven't exactly always seen eye to eye, and I've been a little... more rude since this whole thing began. I want to apologize for that. I've treated you rather unfairly, and allowed my bias to blind me. You have been doing well, all things considered. I shall adjust my attitude, and start treating you better."

Richard blinked, startled. He'd never expected Khoti to admit fault, the Alarian was very proud and had done nothing but firmly assert that Richard had no chance with a core. To hear the alien admit otherwise was... surpising. Not to mention that they'd never really gotten along before.

"Not a... a problem." Richard murmured. "You were kind of right, though. I... don't know what I'm doing, and I'm constantly afraid I'm going to hurt this thing somehow. I don't know how I thought this was a good idea." He began to shake more, tearing up some more. He refused to look the distinguished alien in the eyes, staring down at his bed, and was surprised when Khoti approached him. Khoti kneeled next to his bed, and Richard was startled to see genuine care in the usually somewhat stoic face.

Khoti wordlessly grabbed Richard's shaking hand in his, gently patting it. "S'alright. Don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you." He mumbled, seeming a tad embarrassed. "I want you to be alright. I want this to work for you too, because, well, the alternative isn't very good. For anyone. So, just... if you need anything, let me know." He squeezed the hand gently, while Richard was struggling to keep from sobbing from this suddenly gentle act. He'd never seen this side of Khoti before. The alien was usually so deadpan and gruff, only showing a softer side for his family.

The human had no idea what to say, just tried to sputter out a thank you, only to break down.

It was awkward for Khoti, who'd just wanted to apologize, offer assistance, and leave. While Richard had never seen Khoti's softer side, the same could be said for the alien, who'd assumed Richard was just an annoying and ignorant human with not much empathy. He hadn't seen the human cry since Ayatos had nearly died by car accident. And he had no clue how to comfort Richard.

All he understood was that the human felt inadequate, small, useless. Khoti pulled the human into a hug, offering what small comforts he could. He could feel the human's core awake and active, clearly still reacting to the emotional mess. Khoti felt bad for them. He hugged the quivering human tighter, imagining Ayatos in his arms. Alyru was right, they were similar, he just hadn't seen it.

"I'm sorry for making you feel like you weren't good enough." Khoti murmured. He remembered the intense healing Richard had given his littlest brother, using abilities he barely understood, but learning out of desperation and care. It had been unwise, but it had saved Ayatos. Richard had poential. And lots of it. He was already somewhat in tune with the core inside him. Impressive, he had to admit. "You are more than good enough. You do have what it takes." He encouraged.

Khoti was surprised when Richard began hugging him back after that, clinging to him. The shaking started to subside, and he began to stop crying as much. "Thanks. I needed that." The human whispered.

The hug broke apart, and a meaningful glance was shared. They understood. Khoti gave Richard's shoulder an awkward pat and left quietly, while the human crawled back into his bed, exhausted. His core had quieted down at last, and he felt like he could sleep for ages.


	24. Day 21: Laced drink

Frank walked over to Alyru, holding the drink he'd made for the Alarian. Alyru had complained of not being able to sleep lately, so Frank said he'd make up somthing to help him. He handed the drink to Alyru, who began drinking it.

"Mm. Tasty." He mumbled happily. "Kind of fruity."

"Yeah, us Fenmarks have used this recipe for years. Mom used to make it for me when I couldn't sleep. It's fruit juice mixed with a little bit of good ol melatonin. She used to tell me it was magic." He chucked as Alyru finished the drink, licking his lips.

"What's melatonin?" He asked, ears perking up slightly.

"Makes sleeping easier." Frank chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I hope it helps you sleep."

"Thanks, Franky." Alyru stated, giggling a little. "It's super nice of you."

Frank raised an eyebrow, noticing a slight oddness in the alien's speech. "Franky?" He asked. "Really?"

The Alarian stared at him for a moment and then hiccuped, looking a little off. Frank was confused, he hadn't put any alcohol in the drink. "You okay, little buddy?"

"Never better." Alyru slurred slightly. "Kinda warm and fuzzy." He moved to put the glass on the table and missed completely, dropping it on the floor. "Oopsie. Lemme pick that up quick."

Frank was growing concerned as Alyru bent over to pick up the cup... and nearly fell off the couch. The human had to catch him by the fancy collar on his vest. "Okay, I think there was something in that drink you can't handle."

"I can handle myself just fine." Alyru squeaked, giving Frank a half annoyed look. "I'm doing great."

Frank sighed and gently pushed Alyru back into his seat, grabbing the cup himself and sniffing it. Nothing in the fruity mix of tea, fruit juice, and melatonin seemed to have been bad. They weren't past their expiry date... Maybe something worked different for the aliens than for humans, although they'd only really come across differences in diets with spices, mostly. Alarians couldn't stand cinnamon, and they barely tasted salt, among other things.

Alyru had drank both tea and fruit juice before. So, by process of elimination... it had to be the melatonin. He put the cup down out of reach and gently poked Alyru. "I'm guessing you've never had melatonin before." He told Alyru.

"Not once." The alien giggled, wiggling his fingers in front of his face. "First time I've heard of it."

"I'm guessing its what's affecting you." Frank stated, looking uneasy. "You sure you feel okay? I sure hope it's not poisonous to you."

Alyru was somewhat preoccupied with moving his fingers back and forth across his vision, only half paying attention. "It's probably fine. I feel okay. Magic sausage..." He giggled like an idiot, amused by whatever he was doing.

Frank rolled his eyes, rubbing a hand on his temples. "Well, I got you into this, I'll stay with you and make sure you're okay. If you start feeling worse, we can wake up your brothers and maybe they'll be able to help." He wasn't a doctor, but he would stay and make sure his small friend would be okay.

Alyru looked up at him with wide, rather adorable eyes. "Aw, you'd do that for me? That's so sweet, Franky. You're a dear." He hiccuped again and giggled.

Frank sighed and sat next to Alyru, watching the alien intently. Alyru seemed to get bored of the sausage trick and poked Frank in the arm gently, beginning to snicker to himself. "Boop." He whispered. Frank was slightly amused, realizing the Alarian was acting much like someone drunk would. It was slightly adorable.

Alyru continued to boop frank repeatedly, almost wheezing with laughter by the tenth one and barely able to say the boop part. He had to stop because he was laughing so hard and almost fell off the couch again. Frank gently caught him and set him back up, holding the alien next to him with an arm. "Stop falling off, bud." He chuckled.

Alyru went still, his laughing dying down, and then he made a contented noise. "Mm, you're warm." He mumbled, giggling slightly. "Cozy."

It was quiet for a while, with Frank silently pondering to himself, and Alyru seeming calmer. He had shifted slightly so his head was resting on the human's chest, and although Frank thought he was imagining things, he could almost make out a faint purr coming from the alien. Although he couldn't confirm if Alarians could purr or not.

"Hey Frank?" Alyru murmured.

"Yeah?" The human responded. "What's up, pal?"

"You ever wonder why we're here?" Alyru asked quietly.

Frank glanced down at his face, which seemed content, but still a little flushed. He'd never pondered questions like that very often, as they made him feel very small. He shrugged slightly. "No clue. There's all sorts of speculation, all sorts of beliefs. I don't pretend to know how, or why. All I know is I'm trying to do what I can to make my tiny piece of the universe a little better."

Alyru's eyes widened and he turned to look up at his friend, probably not having expected that answer. They locked eyes for a long moment. Alyru took a deep breath and shifted again, his ears twitching slightly. "I believe it's for something good." He told Frank. "Whoever or whatever put us here... was for a good reason. My people used to believe the stars were powerful creatures. But they're just gas."

Frank sighed softly, smiling. "I used to go to church with my parents back when I lived down south. Haven't gone in years though, since I moved to go to college. I kind of miss it. The potlucks, the songs, all those old friends."

Alyru didn't seem to understand what church was but nodded. "Used to hang out around the old temples. Beautiful paintings on the walls. You wouldn't believe the amount of them with cores. How many of them believed these things were a gift from the stars themselves." He mumbled, letting a small amount of light travel up his arm like a small river and crackle across his hand from finger to finger like lightning. "All those old temples are gone now..."

Frank frowned, noting a single tear on Alyru's face. "I wonder why we survived, when so many are gone." The alien murmured, hiccuping again. "Why I'll never get to see my old home, my old teacher, my parents, the forest behind our street... except in my memory. Why something so small started so many wars. What a stupid thing to fight over..."

Frank raised an eyebrow. "I've never known what happened to your home planet. It was destroyed by another species, right?"

"They came and demanded we share the cores with them. When we refused, they attacked, destroying cities, kidnapping people... mom and dad were taken too. Once they had what they wanted, they wiped us out. Last thing I saw of my home was everything burning, and then... boom." Alyru made a little motion with his hands.

Frank had no idea what to say, so he just hugged the alien from the awkward position they were in, trying to comfort him. Alyru was quiet for a while, and then started mumbling again.

"Soft... heart. Feels nice." He slurred, shifting slightly so he was right over Frank's heart. "Sleepy..." The human smiled, surprisingly enjoying this awkward, surprisingly emotional moment. Although, the mood changed slightly when Alyru began giggling again. "Snakes are so dumb." He mumbled. "They don't have limbs... how do they even move? Wiggly noodles." He laughed.

Frank laughed too, just at the absurdity of it all. One minute, a crushing loneliness because his people were basically extinct, the next, laughing at snakes. "Yeah, they are pretty dumb, aren't they. Stupid dangerous water hoses."

Alyriu began wheezinh softly again, clearly amused. "What is with earth animals anyway?" He asked, a dumb grin on his face. "Why do you have a horse with an absurdly long neck? What's with the stupidly hairy cats? And those giant fish? Reptiles that shoot fire and lightning? What a crazy place to live."

"Yeah, but it's home." Frank chuckled. "Our home, and yours too. We're glad to have you." He told his small friend. Alyru seemed touched and gave frank an awkward pat on the arm with his hand.

"If I was able to see straight, I'd hug you." He mumbled and then yawned. He scooted up a little, still quite keen on cuddling, and curled up a little tighter, head still not leaving Frank's chest. He seemed very fond of the spot. "I think I'll be able to sleep." He murmured sleepily. "Should have thought of the heartbeat in the first place... very soothing... almost like..." He went very quiet, and Frank couldn't make out the rest of the sentence. He listened for a bit in case Alyru had more to say, but the Alarian's breathing had slowed, and he was snoring softly.

"Well, at least you finally got some sleep." Frank whispered, gently moving so not to disturb his sleeping friend, but to get more comfortable. "Cuddle pile it is." He yawned and drifted off to sleep himself, quite relieved Alyru was okay.


End file.
